By Yankuba Jallow
The Gambia Government, through the Minister of Information, Dr Ismaila Ceesay, has assured farmers of adequate supply of fertilizer ahead of the rainy season.
“Farmers are assured of ample supply of fertiliser,” Dr Ceesay said.
Ceesay on Friday, 21 June updated the media on the activities of the Government during his routine press briefing held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center.
The information minister said the government has reduced the price of fertiliser from One Thousand, One Hundred and Fifty Dalasi (D1150) to One Thousand and One Hundred Dalasi (D1100). He added that last year the Government provided a 50% subsidy for fertilizer, which amounted to Twenty-Four Million Dalasi (D24,000,000) for last year alone.
Dr Ceesay said right now the available stock of fertilizer is Four Hundred and Seventy-Nine Thousand (479,000) bags equivalent to Twenty-Three Thounsand (23,000) metric ton. He added additional One Hundred Thousand (100,000) bags will arrive in the country, which is equivalent to Five Thousand (5000) metric tons.
The Minister said the Government aspires to enhance farming by ensuring farmers get fertilizer at affordable prices.
He also said the Director General of Drug Law Enforcement Agency of the Gambia (DLEAG), Bakary Gassama, has been redeployed to the foreign services while Demba Ceesay replaced him at the DLEAG. Also, Lamin Jadama, the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) also known as the State Intelligence Agency (SIS) has been redeployed to serve as the Deputy Executive Director of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA). Adama Drammeh, the Executive Director of the National Aids Secretariat (NAS) has been promoted as Permanent Secretary 2 at the Ministry of Health while he was replaced by his deputy, Alpha Khan as the Executive Director of NAS.
