The State groundnut trading and processing corporation this year introduced a set of measures with a view to smoothing groundnut trade following acrimonious trade seasons but if anything, some of these measures have been presenting a set of challenges to farmers.
Following the inability of Q-cell to successfully execute the mobile payment contract awarded to it by the Gambia Groundnut Cooperation (GGC) last year, the corporation this year resorted to WAVE Gambia to facilitate the payment of farmers’ money but this also is not without problem. Many peanut farmers have been running from pillar to post to receive their money as many WAVE branches in the countryside did not get the kind of cash farmers wanted to withdraw.
Despite the allocation of millions of dalasi to groundnut buying points across the country, GGC’s condition of a certain threshold being met before farmers are paid their money have left many farmers in limbo as they could not still receive their paycheck, which comes once every year.
From Sanjal to Niamina to Kabada and Pakala, farmers are still waiting to be paid.
JollofNews also gathered that cash allocated to some buying points did not match the tons of groundnut being brought on a daily basis.
This year’s groundnut trade season has also proved a logistical nightmare for farmers.
