By Lamin Fatty
The coordinator and liaison of the Federation of Cooperatives assured Foroyaa that cash will be available today to enable Seccos to purchase groundnuts from farmers. This promise comes after more than a week of a standstill in the trade in groundnuts.
The flow of cash to Seccos to purchase nuts had ceased when the GGC announced that they were engaged in reconciliation with the Seccos to avoid shortages and that the trade would resume as soon as they are ready.
Foroyaa continues to monitor the groundnut trade season across the country. Secco presidents in the Upper River Region (URR) and parts of Central River Region (CRR) have disclosed that after going through difficult hurdles within the Qmoney process of buying groundnuts, cash inflow ceased which brought groundnut buying in their area to a standstill.
This reporter visited Seccos (government groundnut buying points) in the Region to assess the process and spoke to several Secco presidents within URR and CRR who said that cash inflow has ceased, even though they have managed to surpass the tonnage earmarked as what their Seccos can purchase, due to low productivity of the cash crop during the past farming season.
Mahamadou Drammeh, the Secco president in Jimara Bakadagy village, told Foroyaa that he exhausted the cash supplied to his Secco about seven days ago, and has not received any money to start purchases. He said farmers continue to bring their groundnuts to his Secco only to return home after realising that there was no money to buy their groundnuts.
“My Qmoney account has exhausted since last Wednesday and farmers continue to bring groundnuts but there is no money to buy their nuts,” he said.
He confirmed that Qmoney agents were at his Secco to pay all those who sold or wanted to sell their groundnuts.
Kinda Baldeh, the Secco president in Demba Kunda said he has no money to pay farmers for almost a week, even though farmers continue to bring their groundnuts for sale at the Secco. He said they expect money to be available today, Monday.
Musa Jobarteh, the Secco president in Gambisara said he has not received any money to buy nuts for ten days now, noting that since the trade season started, he only received money once to buy nuts at his Secco.
“My Secco is full of groundnuts packed by farmers as you can see, and they are all waiting for money to sell their nuts because I don’t want any credit buying in my Secco. I do not know when money will be available here for me to buy groundnuts again,” the Gambisara Secco president told this reporter.
When asked if the authorities responsible for cash supply were aware of the quantity of groundnuts at his Secco at a time when there was no money to buy the nuts, Jobarteh replied:
“I have been telling Abdoulie Khan (coordinator and liaison) and his team who are responsible for the cash supply about the situation at my Secco to no avail. Now they said all the Seccos will be supplied with money today, Monday, and we are waiting.”
The Secco presidents of Kundam and Dingiring in Tumanna, Brifu and Baja Kunda in Wulli East, Jah Kunda in Wulli West; Dasilameh and Diabugu in Sandu, and Sami Karantaba, all complained about cash exhaustion without replenishment.
When contacted to shed light on the situation, Mr. Abdoulie Khan, the head of the Federation of Cooperatives, who is also responsible for cash supply to Seccos, confirmed that most Seccos have exhausted their cash supplies, but was quick to assure farmers that all Seccos across the country will be supplied money today, Monday.
