Abdoulai G. Dibba
The Minister of Agriculture Amie Fabureh has confirmed to this reporter that the Government of President Barrow has subsidized fertilizer to make it affordable to the farming communities during this cropping season.
Minister Fabureh made this statement during her just concluded nationwide tour at the last week of August 2019.
According to Minister Fabureh, farmers this year only complained of the timely availability and accessibility of fertilizer but not its affordability.
“It is relevant to inform you about what made the fertilizer affordable to the extent that you are not complaining,” the Minister told the farming communities in meetings held in Medina Serign Mass, Pakau Ngoju, Njau, Sami Karantaba and Sutuma Sireh, just to name a few. The Minister told farmers in all these meetings held in these communities that Government has spent D160, 000,000 (One hundred and sixty million dalasi) as subsidy on fertilizer this year, to make it affordable; that Barrow’s Government did this because of the concern they have for the farming community.
Minister Fabureh told farmers that for them to understand the level of the subsidy on the fertilizer by Government, “with each bag of compound fertilizer, Government paid D1, 123 (one thousand, one hundred and twenty-three Dalasi), to enable them buy it at the price of D700 (Seven hundred Dalasi)”.
The Agriculture Minister said in the past, fertilizer cost over D1, 000 which led to its unaffordability, compelling farmers to under-utilize this important farm input without any benefit to them.
