By Kebba AF Touray
In its audit report on the provision of farm inputs to farmers, the National Audit Office (NAO) has disclosed that farmers prefer the timely availability of fertilizer before they start planting.
The Audit Office made this disclosure in an audit report on the late arrival of fertilizer to farmers.
The audit reported the farmers interviewed in NBR said fertilizer availability is usually late for most of them, and would prefer the product to be available before planting, so that they can apply it on time.
According to NAO, the delivery pattern of fertilizer in 2021 and 2022 was similar to that of 2020 when fertilizer was delivered to the Regions in June, July, and August.
“In 2023, there was a change in the delivery pattern of fertilizer when delivery took place in June in the NBR; in July in CRR/S, LRR, and CRR/N, and in June in URR and the WCR. There is still no adherence to the month of May target,” NAO reports.
In this light, NAO tasked the government to ensure that quality farm inputs such as fertilizer, is made available to farmers in a timely manner, and explained that interviews with Department of Agriculture, Regional Agricultural Directors, and groundnut farmers show that the ideal time for fertilizer to be available to farmers is the month of May, so that they can also apply the product on their farms on time.
The Audit Office said the Ministry of Agriculture’s response to this finding indicated that they have developed and validated a Fertilizer Policy with support from the Rice Value Chain Transformation project (RVCTP) and other stakeholders
According to NAO, the Policy is awaiting parliamentary approval for its official endorsement and implementation, adding that the Ministry of Agriculture indicated that to ensure commitment in promoting the integrity of fertilizer procurement, a 10 percent performance bond as detailed in the contractual agreements of GGC, will be implemented to address any default by suppliers of fertilizer as security.
“The Fertilizer Policy explicitly mentioned the Ministry’s commitment to ensure the importation of fertilizer at the right time. However, the policy remains silent on specifying the particular month of the year or the rainy season that should be designated as the “required time” for fertilizer importation and distribution to farmers,” the Audit Office said.
According to NAO, a specific timeframe for importing fertilizer is not provided in the policy, noting that when the GGC’s contract files for 2020 were reviewed, it was found that Fermagro delivered 5,500 metric tons of NPK 15:15:15 and 4,000 metric tons of NPK 6:20:10.
However, it reported that there is no documentation indicating actual delivery dates, and as a result, they cannot determine when the deliveries were made. NAO also indicated that the expected delivery date was July 21, 2020, but lack of clarity indicates delay in fertilizer supply for the year 2020, adding that in 2021, Zeine Enterprise also delivered 10,000 metric tons of NPK 15-15-15 earlier than expected.
“On the other hand, Gach Global’s delivery was 5 days late according to the contract agreement, but the consignment arrived in May, the recommended time for fertilizer supply,” NAO said, adding that in 2022, deliveries from both Zeine Enterprise and Gach Global were delayed and that it took Zeine Enterprise 217 days to deliver 7,000 metric tons of NPK 15-15-15, while the Gach Global delivery time took 52 days to supply 5,500 metric tons of NPK 6-20-10.
“Beside suppliers failing to deliver fertilizer on time, the GGC also failed to implement the 10 percent performance bond provided in the fertilizer contract files, which is contrary to what is stated in their response,” NAO reported.
The audit office stated that after a recent restructuring initiative, significant steps such as the signing of contracts with an industrial company, and the establishment of a comprehensive delivery calendar were made to advance the fertilizer program. The audit office highlighted that the fertilizer program also includes the finalization of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the GGC, and the establishment of a designated account at the Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG) and with other affiliated financial services.
