Abdoulai G. Dibba
The Government of the Gambia through the Ministry of Agriculture, has received 50 Metric tons of shell groundnuts as seeds for vulnerable farmers.
The groundnut seeds are part of the Japanese grant to the Gambia. According to the authorities, the groundnut seeds will be distributed to under privileged farmers in the form of a loan which they will pay back in kind at the end of the cropping season.
According to the Director of Agri-business Abba Sankareh, the groundnut seeds will be distributed as follows:-
Upper River Region will receive 10 metric tons; Lower River Region will receive 6 metric tons; North Bank Region will receive 10 metric tons; Central River Region South will receive 6 metric tons; Central River Region North will receive 10 metric tons; West Coast Region will receive 6 metric tons and Urban Agriculture will receive 2 metric tons.
Director Sankareh indicated that the groundnut seed will be handed over to Regional Agricultural Directorates who will determine the under-privileged farmers in their regions, and give it to them as loan.
If readers can recall, the Government of Japan has been giving grants to the Government of the Gambia in the form of seeds, fertilizer and farm implements for quite some time now. This year, 300 metric tons of fertilizer and 50 metric tons of groundnut seeds have already arrived and according to Abba Sankareh, they are expecting the remaining 300 metric tons of fertilizer and other farm implements.
The groundnut seeds are currently stored at the Yundum Agriculture store and the public will be informed of farmers who will receive them.
