By Fatou B. Cham
The Ministry of Agriculture contract committee recently handed over rice production schemes in URR and CRR-South with farm implements and inputs to the farmers.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony, Hassan Jallow, PS Ministry of Agriculture stated that it is a significant achievement that stands out among all support which is the handing over ceremony of these much-needed production inputs, materialsand equipment that would have not come at a better time than now when the agriculture sector has commenced its transformation agenda of modernizing agriculture as enshrined in the NDP and reflected into the second-generation Gambia National Agriculture Investment Plan, Food and Nutrition Security (GNAIPII).
PS Jallow dilated on the genesis which is to support the rice communities in both URR and CRR, before the intervention of the AVCDP Project. He stated that the area was virtually a virgin land full of trees and shrubs and the project was able to develop 50 HA incomplete, with two raining season production.
According to him, Sotuma Samba Koi’s history has it that no production for more than two decades and have not been cultivating rice and the land was full of trees and shrubs during the intervention, today the project has developed 50 HA incomplete put under production for the past two rainyseasons. In the 2023 dry season, a total of 50 hectares have been plowed supporting dry-season production.
“At Dampha Kunda, the project found them cultivating rice around 40ha, but the project found virgin land with trees and shrubs at the intervention site and expand the area to extra HA, a cumulative 90ha, today at Dampha Kunda, a total of 75 hectares has been plowed out with 65 hectares has been transplanted,’’ he said.
He further revealed that equally at Changally Lang Kaddy, the community have been cultivating rice before AVCDP intervention, but the project found a virgin full of trees and shrubs at the intervention site, and this area with the intervention of the project, the area has been expanded to 79 hectares thus cumulative to 93 hectares.
PS Jallow narrated that these items they are handing over will also significantly contribute to improving rice production and productivity and the knowledge management will further decrease the importation of rice into the country hence strengthening our foreign earnings and thus improving the reserves.
Abdoulie Touray, Coordinator of the Central Project Coordinating Unit unveiled the list of items that were handed over to the farming communities which according to him includes the rice production schemes, fuel for the generators in the rice field, Spare parts for the pumping machines, tarpaulins, fertilizers and etc.
“The work on these rice fields had prolonged than expected but we are glad that we have registered tremendous improvement in the rice fields, of which some are already in rice production,” he mentioned.
Baba Sey Ceesay, representative of the Alkalo of Dampha Kunda expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Agriculture and its team for first identifying the problems of the rice farms and putting efforts to see that those problems are being tackled.
He also stressed that some canals are still giving them problems, and timely intervention in solving these canals is vital.
