By MUHAMMED SAILU BAH
In partnership with the Gambia Commercial Agriculture and Value Chain
Management Project (GCAV), Gambia Chamber of Commerce, Industry,
Agriculture and Employers’ Association (GCCI) organised a regional
promotional activities centred on horticulture and its affiliated
value chain activities for youth and women empowerment andagricultural trade promotion. With the theme “Promoting agriculture as
a viable business”, the promotional activities were held in Brikama Ba
(CRR south) and SinchiAlagie (WCR) in the form of ‘lumo’ markets to
avail participants the opportunity to showcase their agricultural
produce.
Madame Olimatou S. Deen, a GCCI official, said their organization has
realised the need to make such platforms available to small scale
farmers e.g. youth and women, to promote agriculture as a viable
business venture and facilitate the establishment of contacts between
growers, processors, markets and financial institutions.
“Well promoted agricultural trade fairs will create a platform for
small holder farmers to have a ready market to sell their produce,
thus, creating an effective market linkage,” Madame Dibba said.
According to the GGCI official, the set objectives of these “lumos” are
to improve marketplace economic and social platforms thus inducing
incremental production and marketing of agricultural commodities; to
enhance the incomes of vendors, reducing post-harvest losses; to
promote food security and self-sufficiency as enshrined in Vision
2016, GNAIP and PAGE National policy document; to promote local value
addition on Agro products such as rice, vegetables, and horticulture
to be promoted as viable cash crop.
Madame Dibba concluded that GCCI with its partners would continue to work
towards expanding its activities in the various regions of the country
to support the producers.
The participants at these “lumos” were farmer-based organisations, food
processors and retailers and youth and women farmers who are involved
in the agricultural value chain.
They expressed their appreciation for such activities in the regions
which seek to enhance their productive capacities by creating market
access for them.
