Abdoulai G. Dibba
The Management of the National Food Security, Processing and Management Corporation has informed the press that 60 Cooperative Producers’ Marketing Societies have been pre-financed by the National Food Security, Processing and Management Corporation and they are currently operating.
The management made this disclosure during a press briefing at the Corporation’s headquarters in Saro, on Tuesday 12thDecember 2017.
A senior member of the Management who briefed this reporter upon arrival, said they called the press to inform them that the farm gate price for groundnuts for the 2017 / 2018 groundnut marketing season, has been pegged at a subsidized price of D17,300 (seventeen thousand three hundred Dalasi) per ton (or D17.30 per kg) and the depot price is set at D18, 800 (eighteen thousand eight hundred Dalasi) per ton.
The senior Management member indicated that in addition to the above, they have also pre-financed 60 Cooperative Producers’ Marketing Societies and the ones that are not pre-finance, owe the Corporation; that this is why they have not been pre-financed.
With regard to the US$17.5 million provided by the Islamic development bank to finance the marketing of groundnut and the purchasing of fertilizer, the Senior Management member indicated that US$ 5 Million will be used to purchase fertilizer and seeds but did not say whether the amount was a loan or grant.
On the tonnage that the National Food Security Processing and Marketing Corporation is prepared to buy this year, the Senior Management Officer said they are prepared to buy a minimum of 35,000 tons of groundnuts and a maximum of anything above 35,000 tons.
On credit buying, he said that “any groundnut delivered at our Depots, will be paid for in cash”.
