Agriculture minister Demba Sabally has declared the quashing of a plan by the National Food Marketing and Corporation (NFMC), formerly known as the Gambia Groundnut Corporation (GGC), to significantly reduce the number of groundnut purchasing points [Secos] across the country this season.
Speaking at a well-attended meeting in Maka Balla Manneh village on the first day of the president’s nationwide ‘Meet the People Tour’, Minister Sabally delivered a firm assurance to groundnut farmers: “No secco will be closed.”
The Minister informed the crowded gathering that, acting on the direct advice of President Adama Barrow, the government will buy groundnut from all Secos, ensuring that farmers across the nation have easy access to sell their produce.
“With the advice of President Adama Barrow,” the Minister stated, “the government will buy groundnut from all Seccos and no secco will be closed.”
Minister Sabally’s announcement comes in direct contradiction to a plan laid out by the NFMC, the state-owned enterprise responsible for groundnut purchasing.
On November 3rd, 2025, NFMC deputy director Lamin Sanyang convened a meeting with Secco chiefs at the NFMC office in Banjul, where he informed them of the cooperation’s plan to buy groundnut from only fifty (50) Seccos nationwide.
The deputy director cited severe financial challenges for the proposed scaling back. Mr. Sanyang stated that the cooporation has observed that “the money they spend on groundnut don’t reflect their turnover and the groundnut they do buy doesn’t reach at their depots,” which has resulted in “significant bank debt.”
Despite the existing financial challenges mentioned by the NFMC, Minister Sabally’s assurance signals a commitment by the highest level of the government to support the entire farming community.
Concluding his address, the Minister urged all groundnut farmers to fulfill their civic and financial obligations.
He urged groundnut farmers to pay their loans after the groundnut season.
The Minister’s announcement is expected to bring relief to thousands of farmers, who rely on their local Seccos, for groundnut sales, ensuring that geographical distance does not become a barrier to accessing the government’s official purchasing mechanism.
