QUESTION OF THE DAY
The refusal to sell 250 bags of fertilizer to the village of Palen Wolof has undermined a progressive consumer cooperative scheme to the detriment of poor farmers. It is customary for the villagers of Palen Wolof to take money from their village fund to purchase fertilizer for general distribution to each farmer to ensure that each household will get the minimum they need for their household. Those who need more will proceed to get additional bags. Unfortunately, when the Alkalo of the village led a delegation to purchase the fertilizer he was told that each villager should go and buy his own fertilizer. Consequently, many farmers because of the Eid feast utilized their savings for the commemoration. This has undermined the cooperative structure that the people had made. There is need for dialogue.
Many of the farmers are going to do without fertilizer this year just because the will of the people of Palen Wolof was ignored by those who control the fertilizer their area. We therefore hope that the authority will recognise the need to meet the cooperative demand of the people to enable them to achieve better harvest next time.
