Abdoulai G. Dibba
Mr. Sambou Dampha a farmer and board member of the National Farmers’ Platform, while welcoming the
reduction of the prize of fertilizer from D950 to D700, appealed to the Government to further reduce the price to D600, taking into consideration the total crop failure of the last rainy season and that farmers are struggling to secure seeds.
The price of fertilizer has been reduced from D950 to D700 per 50 kilogramme bag according to a press release from the National Food Security Processing and Marketing Corporation formerly known as GGC.
Mr. Dampha asserted that failing to reduce the fertilizer to D600, will make the under usage of fertilizer to continue, because the farmers will not be able to purchase the required amount of fertilizer for their farms.
Mr. Baboucarr Kanteh, a farmer in Brikamaba, indicated that he was happy when he heard of the reduction of fertilizer from D950 to D700.
“This is a good move by the Government but if they can further reduced it to D500, it will enable us to purchase the required quantity of fertilizer we need for our farms,” he said.
According to Mr. Kanteh, they need four bags of fertilizer for their rice field, and this will cost D2,800 at the current price; but that if it is reduced to D500, it will cost D2,000 and this will be affordable to him.
Mr. Kanteh called on the Government to further reduce the fertilizer prize to D500 to ensure food security as the soil is infertile and requires fertilizer.
On his part, Mr. Sana Darboe, alias Master Farmer, thanked the Government for the move and called on them to further reduce the prize to D600, to make it affordable to all farmers in the country.
He said the farmers need the support of the Government to boost productivity because the soil is infertile and without fertilizer, they cannot boost production.
Other farmers who spoke to this reporter called on the Government to further reduce the cost of fertilizer as most them have exhausted their food stock and are struggling for food as the rain approaches.
