By Assan Bah
The National Food Security Processing and Marketing Corporation (NFSPMC), formerly known as the Gambia Groundnut Corporation (GGC), alongside the Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Societies (FACs), has successfully settled outstanding debts owed to farmers in the North Bank Region (NBR), Central River Region North (CRR North), and Upper River Region (URR).
This cash payment exercise, aimed at reconciling excess deliveries by agricultural cooperatives to GGC depots, has faced various challenges, particularly in screening procedures which allegedly made seccos deliveries lesser at the depots as returns of heaps of sand and other foreign materials were found in some seccos. GGC could not pay for it, claiming that they had warned that they were not buying dust.
During the exercise, the team visited 9 seccos in NBR, 1 in CRR North, and 12 in URR. These seccos had delivered more groundnuts to GGC depots than recorded, leading to excess deliveries. Some secco presidents received payments for these surpluses, while others settled debts with GGC.
A recurring issue raised by secco presidents was dust payments. Despite repeated reminders from officials that all secco presidents were instructed not to buy groundnuts without screening, some defended their actions, stating that farmers threatened not to sell if the screening process was enforced.
“After weighing at the depot, our purchases dropped because of dust and foreign materials in the bags,” explained one secco president. However, officials contested this, asserting, “We cannot pay for something that we don’t receive. The unpaid balance is a shortage between the CPMS and the farmers.”
Officials clarified that the responsibility rested with the CPMS presidents, who had been warned not to buy on credit.
“If they had screened their groundnuts, they wouldn’t have these issues,” one official remarked. “GGC has settled their balances unless the government chooses to assist them in clearing debts with the farmers.”
At Kuntaya, the CPMS president claimed that screening machines were faulty, and the process had begun late due to delays in receiving float funds. This, he argued, led farmers to threaten to sell to other seccos that weren’t screening.
“I was one of the first to advocate for screening, but I had to stop due to the pressure,” he said.
In Kerr Jarga, both the president and manager expressed frustration when they were informed that they would only be paid for the groundnuts delivered to the GGC depot, citing old screening machines as a challenge. Officials reminded them that a 1% tolerance had been granted to all seccos for discrepancies.
In the Kerewan cycle, covering Badibou and Sanjal, seccos that had properly screened their groundnuts had their outstanding balances settled. However, they raised concerns about the digital payment system. “QMoney sends everything at once—crop finance, tariffs, and commissions—and we struggle to determine what is what. The crop finance was overstated,” said one secco manager. FACS was advised to reconcile the figures.
In Chamen Nianija, CRR North, the CPMS president expressed regret for not screening his purchases, saying, “If I had screened everything, I would have delivered 100%.”
He noted that, due to credit issues, he had been paid only a fraction of the total amount.
In URR, some seccos had their debts settled, while others continued to face reconciliation challenges between QMoney and FACS. At Sabi, a 9-tonne shortfall was attributed to machine inefficiencies, though officials contested this, claiming it was a cash shortage.
Seccos in Demba Kunda reported having groundnuts in stock but lacking the funds to purchase more.
“If we had the money, we would start buying today,” said one manager. Similarly, at Sotuma Sirre, the CPMS president voiced frustration with QMoney’s handling of payments, claiming that funds were withdrawn without their knowledge. He called for a return to the previous cash payment system, which he felt was more efficient.
The CPMS president of Bakadagy, Muhammed Drammeh, reported no outstanding debts as all farmers had been paid. However, he also expressed concerns about their inability to purchase more groundnuts because they are not allowed to buy credit. “We have stock, but we can’t buy more because we are not allowed to buy on credit. If we had money, we could buy more than 100 tonnes a week,” he said, urging the government to release more funds to allow seccos to purchase all available produce.
As the payment process moves forward, the NFSPMC and FACS face ongoing challenges in addressing the payment discrepancies, screening issues, and the demand for more funds to ensure that all farmers are adequately compensated for their groundnuts.
