By Kebba Mamburay
The marketing manager of the Gambia Groundnut Corporation (GGC), Ms. Fatim Leigh, said the groundnut season will soon come to an end by 31st March 2021.
According to her, this season, they bought seven thousand four hundred and sixty five metric tons and ninety kilos (7, 455.90) of groundnuts which equally cost a value of over one hundred and eighty nine million dalasi (D189, 812,885).
She said though their projection was forty thousand tons for 2020-2021 trading season, they were unable to meet their targeted desire due to so many factors.
“2019-2020, the cooperation had about two thousand, two hundred and twenty four (2,224) metric tons. But then in 2020-2021, we have more than two thousand. We purchased seven thousand, four hundred and sixty tons with the value of one hundred and eighty nine million dalasi,” she said
Leigh further said this season, they have made progress irrespective of the challenges they have encountered during the trade season, ranging from the pricing and the competitors in the local markets. She said GGC as corporation was able to survive the challenges and made massive progress out of it.
She said during their TV and radio talk shows, a lot of complaints were raised by farmers regarding the price of groundnuts, saying the prices were not as good as expected by farmers because in the previous years, the price of groundnut was eighteen thousand five hundred dalasi (D18, 500).
The farmers were reluctant to sell their products with that amount which later made them to adjust the price they bought groundnut for, increasing it to twenty thousand seven hundred (D20, 700). She said this increment however didn’t satisfy the farmers.
GGC marketing manager said she felt the need for them to engage their stakeholders in the groundnut industry, including the farmers who claimed that the price (D20,700) they purchased groundnut is still not favourable. She said they increased the purchase price to twenty three thousand dalasi (D23,000).
“The private buyers too, affect the country’s economy and foreign exchange value because they are using Dalasi to buy the products (Foreign currency) and export them to their countries, she said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Leigh said their Corporation shall soon venture into cashew trading, which shall commence probably next month or month after that. She said this idea was introduced to the corporation by her in a proposition to diversify sources of trade and income not limited to groundnut only.
