By Amadou Manjang
Gambian farmers and gardeners, on Wednesday, 10 July 2024, received 150 bags of 50kg NPK compound fertilisers from A & P Group.
The presentation was held at the National Food Security Processing & Marketing Corporation in Banjul.
The fertilisers are distributed among five farmer groups, namely, Sukuta Women Horticulture Garden (25), Bakau Women Garden (25), Farmers Group (30), Marketing Federation (40), and National Coordination Organization for Farmers Association The Gambia (NACOFAG) (30).
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the President of the Farmers Group, Musa Sowe, said this is the first time the private sector reached out to farmers by donating fertilisers, adding that the donation is significant for them.
‘No contribution is small for the farmers,’ he said.
He said farmers in the Gambia are struggling because the farm inputs are very expensive and many farmers are poor. Therefore, he thanked A & P Group for donating fertilisers to farmers which would have cost them a lot.
‘We cannot feed the nation if they [farm inputs] are costly,’ he added.
He called on the private sector to support the farming communities in the country while appealing to other sectors and institutions to emulate A & P Group to support farmers with fertilisers and machinery.
The Deputy Managing Director of A & P Group, Panneh Camara, said public-private partnerships can drive growth; therefore, the government should leverage the strength of such cooperation.
She said that they are in partnership with farmers and the agriculture department to improve productivity as well as improve access to finance and the market. She added that the donation seeks to contribute to the development of the Gambia’s agriculture sector. She added that they are complementing the effort of the government towards the farming communities.
She added that a large portion of food consumed in the country is imported; therefore, there is a need to invest in agriculture to reduce the importation of food. She further added that if agriculture fails in this country, nothing will succeed because we all depend on food.
The Representative of Women Gardeners in Sukuta and Bakau, Kaddy Bojang, said the donation of fertilisers would go a long way in helping them as it will improve their productivity which they badly need.
‘We are really happy about this gesture,” she added.
She observed that the majority of urban women are involved in gardening, therefore, it is important to help them in their endeavours; adding that Bakau and Sukuta Gardens have more than one thousand women gardeners that supply the Gambian markets.
She further added that anyone who helps the women of the Gambia is doing services for the country because money plays a crucial role in the production of food and food value chains.
