Farmer laments lack of market contribute to post harvest loses

This, she added, has force many consumers to buy expensive and sometimes poor quality imported products making the country losing millions of dollars in import. 

In an exclusive interview with The Point, Sallah, a renowned entrepreneur explained that even though more than 70% of Gambians are involved in farming, the potential in agriculture is still under-utilized.

She owns Jamwelli Shop, a local processing shop located at Wellingara , where they specialized in the processing of food items such as hot paper source, milk power, ‘churrah gerrteh’, purely natural ‘arraw’, millet and beans baby serial and purely natural ‘sanhal’, and among other foods items. 

She explained that lack of market where they could sell their products in the rural areas is forcing many farmers to venture into vegetable gardening.

“When the vegetables are ripe they either eat it or sell it to the intermediaries at a giveaway price. We decide as women to take this products from the farmers, processed and packaged them well, so that the product can stay longer sometimes for more than one year to two years without getting spoiled. From there we can resale it to national or international markets and even supermarkets so that farmers can also enjoy the benefits of their labour."

The aim association, she added, is to empower women, prevent post harvest loses for farmers. “We also intend to create employment and also be the leading market provider of millet in the Gambia in the next five years.

She revealed that they also participate in national Trade Fair organized by The Gambia Youth Chamber of Commerce and GCCI so as to export their products to the international markets.

However, Sallah revealed some of the constraints the organization is facing, which she said, include lack of availability of dry machinery which has the potentials to package some of their products.

“The high cost of package materials is really affecting us as a processing center. We need equipment to be able to do processing and export it to the international markets.