In an interview with our reporter, Mr Faye said they have 25 varieties of seedlings in their nursery bank.
Faye, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Plantation Nurseries located at Fass Njaga Choi in Lower Nuimi District, North Bank Region added that he aims to become one of the leading suppliers of quality seedlings in the country.
Plantation Nurseries is a company that engages in the propagation and management of climate-resilient seedlings of fruit trees, plant trees and vegetable trees for smallholder farmers and communities in The Gambia.
Mr. Faye said they have in the past partnered with Food and Agricultural Organization, Ecosystem-based Adaptation (Eba), Banjul City Council, Forestry Department, The Gambia Red Cross Society and National Coordinating Organisation of Farmers Association - The Gambia.
The company is renowned for being a youth-led agricultural organisation utilising locally available resources for plant raising while still embracing new technologies to keep up with advanced models of agriculture, CEO Faye pointed out.
“We are experienced and well trained to propagate a variety of plant species,” he added.
However, Mr. Faye said the plantation nurseries face a lot of challenges in managing the weeds, protecting plants from pests, identifying and treating plant diseases, lack of enough seeds, price of polythene bags and lack of organic fertilizer. “These challenges have been skyrocketing in our farms and does not help our business,” he stated.
He emphasized that they mostly propagate seedlings for smallholder farmers who mostly buy their seedlings during the rainy season fortransplantation in their communities or gardens.
He said the price of the seedlings range from D50 to D200 per seedling depending on the type of seedlings a customer wants.
