The ministry is now known as the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security.
The decision, he said, was highly appreciated by livestock farmers for the fact that it “is a giant step in recognising the critical role played” by the livestock sector in the country.
Mr Jallow made this remark in an interview with The Point while reacting to the decision of adding the word ‘livestock’ to the name of the Ministry of Agriculture, to be now called “Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security”.
The amendment of the ministry’s name has been approved and endorsed by cabinet ministers at State House in a recent meeting attended by various cabinet ministers led by the Minister of Agriculture Dr Demba Sabally.
On behalf of the livestock farmers, Mr Jallow said he would like to inform all and sundry that they have been advocating for the livestock sector to have its own ministry over the years, but no avail. Hence the decision to incorporate livestock into the name of the Ministry of Agriculture “is highly acknowledged and appreciated” by livestock farmers across the country.
He further commended the first and the second republics of The Gambia who struggled very hard to maintain the welfare of the country’s livestock sector. “But the third Republic under the leadership of President Adama Barrow has gone the extra mile, for the first time in the history of The Gambia, to secure a multi-million-dollar project purely for livestock,” applauded the NALOA president.
He further asserted that over the recent years the livestock sector was not captured as it was before or yesteryears. “Incorporating Livestock in the name of the Ministry is a plus for the country,” he said.
He also advised the government to identify a livestock expert that would advise the minister of Agriculture on livestock issues.
“This area is very wide and needs an expert that is on top of livestock issues,” he said.
He was quick to hail the Gambian leader for his foresight and for keeping his promise on livestock matters.
Mr Jallow also commended the permanent secretary at the Agriculture ministry and reiterated the essence of having livestock experts to appropriately address the welfare of livestock farmers of the country.
It would be recalled that recently President Adama Barrow led the 11th Cabinet Session, where several proposals by agriculture Minister Demba Sabally were deliberated upon and approved.
Consequentlky, one of the proposals endorsed was the renaming of the Ministry of Agriculture to incorporate the words livestock and food security, in recognition of the critical role of livestock farming in food production and security.
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