By Lamin Kujabi
The Minister of Agriculture Dr Demba Sabally has announced that his Ministry has plans to import over hundred tractors into the country to boost the country’s mechanisation programme.
He was speaking in a recently held ‘President’s delivery forum’, with the Ministry of Agriculture. The forum, held at State House, presided over His Excellency Adama Barrow, is meant to afford ministries the opportunity to update the President about projects and activities implemented and plans.
As the Minister explained, the forum was meant to serve as an audit of their activities and plan of action for the next 12 months.
He revealed that the Ministry is currently implementing six active projects in the country, which they have reported on. ‘‘Among them,’’ he continued, are projects that are not yet to be launched, but that they will be launched soon.
He described their flagship project ‘Roots’ as the biggest agricultural project in The Gambia that focuses on many aspects mainly rice production.
Dr Sabally also mentioned GIRAV as another important project which provides support for the production of vegetable gardening in the country, as well as support for rice production among others.
‘‘Apart from Roots and GIRAV, we also have Regional Rice Value chain project, which is hardware component of the rice sector. They provide power tillers, tractors, and give lot of support to the National Seeds Secretariat and also trained seeds department,” Minster Sabally explained.
He went on: “For us to raise fund we must increase productivity, and productivity can only be achieved if our seeds yield move from 2 tons per hectare to 7 tons per hectare”.
He added that the Rice Value Chain project is working with the National Seed Secretariat to acquire high quality rice grains.
He pointed out that apart from ‘findi’ productivity on all the other crops has increased across the country.
The Minister noted that women are the largest cluster of farmers for both rice and horticulture; thus mechanisation will make life easier for the women.
