(JollofNews) – Gambia’s minister of Agriculture Omar A. Jallow, Tuesday set a two-year timeframe for the country to be rice self-sufficient.
“With the present intervention in the rice sector, we hope that we can be self-sufficient in the next two years,” he told journalists during a press conference held at his office in Banjul.
Gambia has of one the highest per capita consumption rates (117 kg) in the world and the country continues to import tens of thousands of rice every year. Rice productivity is expected to surge this year as a lot of efforts have been injected by government and the private sector.
Minister Jallow said in 1993 Gambia was producing 70 per cent of its domestic consumption.
A situation which drastically changed during the 22-year rule of the Jammeh regime.
Mr Jallow recalled the 2016 budget speech delivered by former Finance minister Abdou Kolley, in which he announced that the country’s rice production has fall down to 15 per cent.
“This is our responsibility to bring rice production from 15 per cent to 100 per cent,” he added.
During a recent regional meeting held last week in Banjul, Mr Jallow reminded the gathering that the Gambia government has identified rice as a major food security crop, and a national rice development strategy (NRDS) for 2015-2024 has been set up with the objective of creating a competitive rice industry.
Good to hear the ambition of OJ. But Foroyaa are reporting many difficulties for farmers who do not own any supplies of rice with which to feed their own families let alone the nation.
They are still complaining of no fertiliser, No machines, farm tools, or implements.
This despite the Executive being informed about this dire situation 6 months ago.
OJ should back up his ambition with facts of where and when this crisis has been addressed.
The very much respected proprietors of Foroyaa could have specialised as carrier journalists, and critics of the country’s democratisation and development process rather than running political seats without inputs towards- [how meaningful development can be achieved.]
I think it’s much more appropriate that the people’s reps are contributive elements towards development ideas in as much as critics to it.
It is fine if Foroyaa becomes the loudspeakers of cry of the poor but then equally, they should be instrumental in finding remedies to the cause of the poor’s cry.
@Babu, as far as womanising is concerned, a good percentage of Gambian men may not be as innocent but we hope that percentage not getting that worse, laying half naked women on the ‘state’s center table’ and massaging them down in the pretext of healing sicknesses in them.
O.J is not and angel neither a demon like your love, Jammeh, who privatizes, misappropriates and incorporates public wealth in illegally fabricated family businesses funded by embezzlement of state resources. You doing some good at least keeping your boss’s criminal deeds alive in our memories every time you think you’re placing his good deeds over his demonic being.
I’m sure if I become president one day and want to pour some black tar through your village, so my supporters can praise me for being the one who constructed a tarmac road in your village, I can pass it through your compound and send killers to kidnap and kill your brother who’s opposed to running a tar road through his family premises. I can kill your brother because he is opposed to the facilities I am bringing to Gambians….. Isn’t it? I Bourne, Mr. President, shouldn’t be opposed, running a road through Babu’s family compound…. And, this is just one little example of trespassing into private citizens’ properties I can do unopposed or unchallenged.
I can also order the cutting down of all the mango trees on the main passage of that opposition stronghold village, because those trees are in the way of light poles that has to pass through to the next village,
who are faithful supporters of President Bourne….hhhgn! eh?
Babu, you and I have a point of disagreement; your habit of extolling a coldblooded despot and hatred for a democratic process, and far by contrast, my cool headed non partisanship and genuine and proportionate criticism of all republics of the Gambia.
I look forward to seeing not just rice self sufficiency but exported by the Gambia in the three years time. O.J must have been aware that twice an opportunity must not be wasted. Babu’s pessimistic diatribe though, is quite uninspiring and bad a stumbler…
Mike Scales,
Excellent REMINDER!
The OJ figure was at the head of the same ministry during the buoyant years of his defunct PPP administration. What did he do for our farmers then? This man is a city boy, who only came in contact with the farmers through his tenure as a corrupt, self-effacing Cooperative officer before getting engaged into politics. He knows nothing about the dire needs and plights of our farmers. After all he was NOT born in the Gambia to learn about our farmers. He was brought by the hand by his dad from Futa only to settle in the metropolitan area.
During his years at the Cooperative Dept they were only engaged in cheating and stealing from the farmers peanuts’ money, womanizing instead of working, influence peddling until the Coop dept. crumbled.
Now, he’s talking about 2 years for self-sufficiency, gush, the rains started when he was Barrow’s minister. What was he doing all the time until the farmers came out to echo their plight and predicament? To diffuse those claims he’s come up with an untangible stupid programme of “rice self-sufficiency in two years”. That’s the real political gimmicks and jokes of this USELESS and INEFFICIENT administration.
Ok Babu Soli; I heard you I don’t think the same mistake as you said it will repeated.
Any move towards self-sufficiency in food production would be highly welcomed.However, experts in the sector should know that people no longer farm for the sake of consumption, rather, they have to be assured that they stand to make money in their farming endeavour.Farmers need to be subsidized like the rest of the world’s farmers if they are to meet local demands.Open-door policies on food imports as dictated by WTO rules are just one of the obstacles in developing our farming/agricultural sectors.Blaming one government after another alone will not help.
Good observation my friend.
OJ should visit farmers around the country,Gambia can grow what to eat but only if government invest in agriculture , for now no any Dalasi spent on it at least in URR
Karfa Jamanka,
Subsidies for farmers, farming machinery, fertilizers, field agricultural workers, market avenues( both local and international) require stringent government policies and of course MONEY.
But where there is no policy (just silly mouth BLA BLA BLA), where the farmers’ money is spent on expensive per diem emoluments, unworthy seminars and conferences, fuel for luxurious cars, bloated (unrequired) office personnel in the agric Ministry and Department……. how can farmers “grow what they eat and eat what they grow to make sufficient surpluses for the markets and eventual get rid of POVERTY?
This INEPT, CORRUPT , INEFFICIENT government can NEVER make a headway in agriculture. It has placed the wrong person in a very crucuial place. He was there before and did NOTHING!
=peace#
I think it’s better he stays in his office, because his trip to visit our farmers will once again be a burden on the meagre agricultural resources generated from the taxpayers´money.
On his trip he will take along car-loads of his officials and friends to help them claim per diem emoluments, consume a lot of fuel, eat a lot of expensive food, drink hundreds of bottles of cold water which they always take along; all that will undoubtedly run in the hundreds and thousands of the farmers´ dalasis.
During and after such useless trips, he’ll only LIE to them about the 2-year self-sufficiency-in-rice policy. BETTER HE STAYS TO CONTINUE DOING NOTHING! USELESS PEOPLE
Yeah you are right honestly agree with you xx
No money for agriculture but yeah money to buy luxury cars to buy MPS while we need ambulances and firefighters, but the promise was cars for government staff
Vision 2016 was empty statements, we are not expecting OJ to repeat same statements. The Plan OJ refers to are “empty” statements not Plans.
Gambia at High Risk of Food Shortage in 2018- What Options available to avoid Hunger and Famine
The rainfall pattern this year seems worrying and it calls for famine /hunger prevention planning. It rained not more than twice in some areas of Kombo North and KMC in September
September 2017 appears to be the hottest month in record for the past ten years
A good percentage of the big trees in The Gambia, Cassamance and Guinea Bissau have been felled
Harm to the Farming Community
Low supply of foods
Low income
Harm to the Country
Low export of agricultural produce
Low foreign exchange income
Significant threat to the 2018 national revenue collection
What Hunger Prevention Options Available to The Gambia?
1; Declare famine and go begging- this is the lowest option as it does not address the income poverty of the farmer nor that of the country.
2: Call a “War” Room Cabinet Meeting to start “thinking” and planning- Agriculture in The Gambia has to be driven by technology and not the 19 century techniques. Let us start thinking outside the box.
Let us plan effective revenue generation and collection and not just revenue collection
M.K.Cham
Sukuta, Kombo North
Tel: 9575069
You make a lot of sense Mr Cham from Sukuta….
I have examined carefully what it takes for tbe Gambia to be self- sufficient in rice
To the best of my knowledge and experience I want to argue that the dateline is unrealistic and unattenable.
Under current circumstances very few if any serious and honest Agricultural expert would agree with this statement.
It’s the same catch phrase Jammeh used; Sounds good in speeches. Any offers for self sufficiency in 12 months ? Or maybe 6 months ?
I could do it in one month….Just ask China .