The launch was held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Centre in Bijilo.
With funding from the Enhanced Integration Framework (EIF), the platform is a free phone-based and online market medium that seeks to promote local horticultural products for women vegetable gardeners.
At the launch, Modou Touray, technical adviser and human Expert at ITC, said the project is to address issues of sustainability and improve income for horticultural women producers and processors, who were affected by the socio-economic crisis caused by Covid -19 pandemic.
"In addition, it also came to address some of the challenges in the horticultural value chain most especially limited market access which included dis-organized market arrangements and unavailability of appropriate storage facilities ,high post harvest losses, limited information on Agricultural data and so on."
Touray, however, reminded that in the context of these constraints, the horticultural sector benefits from growing commission and has high economic value in The Gambia with the country’s favourable climate for growing foods and vegetables.
"Therefore, the horticultural sector estimated to account for about 2% of the cultivated land and about 8% of the Agricultural products."
He reaffirmed that commercial report on horticultural remain untapped in The Gambia and it is estimated that over 90 percent of Gambian horticulture is not commercialised, as local production is dominated by small-scale farming of less than two hectares.
For her part, Mama Manneh, Civil Soceity Organisation (CSO) representative, described the project as timely in view of the fact that it has come at a time when farmers are able to breathe allowing them to take ownership and make informed choices which has never happened before.
"All stakeholders should not compete but instead work together for sustainability. For the first time in history, Gambia has a trade that will communicate farmers, pay bills at Banks and get their supplies delivered for the first time…"
Lamin Dampha, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Trade, Regional Integration and Employment, recalled that Covid 19 pandemic has impacted and changed the way business is conducted around the globe.
"The world is technologically advancing and therefore Gambia needs to embrace that to boost domestic trade performance by positioning itself to be resistant and be a flexible country that can adapt to unforeseen external force and ensure that economic operators can function in a most difficult situation."
