By Assan Bah
Rice farmers in the Jahally and Pacharr swamps of the Central River Region South (CRR-S) have raised serious concerns over what they describe as a lack of government support, attributing it to the drastic failure of the previous cropping season.
The local farmers, primarily subsistence producers, allege that the government’s attention is skewed toward private investors and large-scale projects, leaving them with minimal assistance. Many recall a time when they solely relied on their own harvests for food and income. Today, they are forced to consume imported rice, which they jokingly once called “smelly,” but now have no alternative.
“We now pay more, but harvest less,” several farmers lamented, criticizing private investors for inflating the costs of farm services.
Challenges with Harvesting and Equipment
Yero Mballow, a farmer from Kerewan Samba Sire, highlighted the persistent difficulties with harvesting. “The saddest thing is, irrespective of your total harvest, one has to account for a total of eight bags of rice per plot harvested by a harvester,” he explained.
He further revealed that poor tractor work forces farmers to plough their fields three times before planting, paying D1,500 each time. “We used to solely depend on our farm produce to feed our families, but that is no longer the case,” Mballow said.
Bambo Ceesay, visibly disappointed with his yield, claimed that expired fertilizer supplied by the Farmers Association drastically reduced production. “A farm that usually produces 80 to 90 bags of rice produced less than 20 bags this year,” he said.
Ceesay also accused government officials of ignoring local farms, focusing only on high-profile projects. “Anytime they come here, they are only interested in the projects, sidelining ordinary farmers. The government tells people to return to the farms for food self-sufficiency, yet they show no real interest in supporting our farms,” he stated.
Despite being one of the largest rice farmers in the area, Ceesay said he saw a harvester in his fields fewer than six times this season. The scarcity of harvesters has forced some farmers to abandon ripe crops to birds. “After all the struggles with ploughing, planting, and buying fertilizer, to leave your farm for the birds is heartbreaking,” he said.
While the government recently procured combined harvesters, Ceesay alleged that most were allocated to private farmers under government projects. “We expected harvesters to solve our problems, but it has worsened our situation. All our swamps are inundated with water, and farmers have to share one harvester between the Kerewan and Pacharr zones, which is far from sufficient,” he explained.
Economic Struggles and Rising Costs
Mamadou Baldeh shared his experience, reporting only four bags harvested from his plot despite applying four bags of fertilizer and paying D3,000 for transplanting. “A good part of my plot was flooded. I followed the harvester for weeks, but they kept postponing. After this failure, I had to sell livestock to feed my family of ten,” he said, adding that previously, he would harvest at least 45 bags.
Gibbi Baldeh, a veteran farmer with over five decades of experience, described this year’s harvest as unprecedentedly poor. “Things are getting worse yearly due to the lack of focus and investment by the government. Officials are only interested in projects, ignoring subsistence farmers,” he said. He recalled a time when two rice seasons were possible due to sufficient equipment, but now even one season is challenging. “My plot, which used to produce 100 bags, only yielded 20 this year,” Baldeh said, blaming late fertilizer provision.
Gibbi Kandeh, farming since the First Republic, echoed similar concerns. “We used to feed our families year-round and even share with relatives, but now we entirely depend on imported rice,” he said. He described challenges with delayed tractors, which require him to plough three times at D1,500 each, and rising transplanting fees of D3,000 per day.
“The difference between our farms and the project farms is evident. I had to manually harvest my three plots after waiting over a month for a harvester,” Kandeh added. He also declined a government-provided rake after last year’s floods destroyed two of his farms, feeling it was insufficient compensation for his losses.
Amadou Mballow pointed out that delays in ploughing and poor tractor work negatively affect seed germination, while Penda Mballow and Hojcha Sabally noted that despite repeated low yields reported to authorities, little action was taken. “This is what we depend on. We don’t farm groundnuts or coos,” they said.
Niumi Bayo, a female rice farmer in Pacharr, described the last eight or nine years as a struggle. “My farm is 50 by 100 meters. At worst, I used to harvest 70 bags. This year I got only 15,” she said, attributing the drop to insufficient equipment, late planting, and flooding.
Bayo also highlighted the high costs of production: D4,500 for tractor services, D3,000 for transplanting, and D1,200 per bag of fertilizer. “Even for subsistence farmers like us, these costs are crippling. We need more tractors and affordable fertilizer. Canals must be properly constructed to manage water flow and prevent flooding,” she urged.
Government Perspective: Challenges and Interventions
John Mendy, Regional Agriculture Director for CRR-S, acknowledged the farmers’ struggles but highlighted ongoing government interventions. He described CRR-S as the country’s rice production hub due to its proximity to the River Gambia. Farmers in Jahally, Pacharr, and Jangbureh generally operate two seasons – rainy and dry – using tidal irrigation, which has its own limitations.
Mendy explained that poor irrigation infrastructure in Jahally had previously hampered production due to broken gates, blocked canals, and damaged dikes. “With the ROOTS and P2P2RS projects, gates and dikes have been repaired, and water now flows smoothly. The whole of Jahally was under cultivation during the previous dry season,” he said.
However, he admitted drainage remains a problem. “Farmers cannot always control water. Small pumping machines help, but not all farmers have them,” he said. Pacharr, he noted, experienced severe flooding last year, destroying crops. Farmers have long called for a perimeter dike to protect fields from rainwater, which projects may now assist with.
Mechanization remains a critical need. “Power tillers and powerful tractors are required due to the challenging terrain. For post-harvest operations, farmers need combined harvesters, mini-combined harvesters, threshers, and milling machines,” Mendy said. While the government has procured equipment and projects have supplemented efforts, the quantity remains insufficient.
Mendy confirmed the farmers’ complaints about limited access to harvesters: “Jahally and Pacharr have about 2,000 hectares, all maturing at once. With only a few combined harvesters – three in Jahally – farmers often quarrel over access.” He added that community committees have been established to schedule harvester use, but challenges persist.
Responding to allegations of expired fertilizer, Mendy stated that all government-supplied fertilizer is up-to-date. “If expired fertilizer is being sold, the suppliers should be reported. The government does not sell expired fertilizer,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of technical guidance, climate-smart seeds, and youth involvement in rice farming. “Farmers need to follow extension workers’ advice and use certified, high-yield seeds. Rice production cannot rely solely on smallholder farmers – youth involvement is key,” Mendy said.
A Call for Action
Farmers in CRR-S are calling for urgent government attention and support to address long-standing challenges. From the lack of equipment and high production costs to flooding and inadequate irrigation infrastructure, they stress that the current approach undermines local food self-sufficiency.
“This is not just about our livelihoods; it’s about national food security,” Ceesay said. Niumi Bayo echoed the sentiment: “We are not profiting from rice farming anymore. Our children’s nutrition and families’ sustenance are at stake. We need real support – tractors, affordable fertilizer, proper canals, and better harvesters.”
As the country grapples with the balance between private projects and smallholder subsistence farming, the voices of these farmers underscore a crucial question: will government policies genuinely support local rice producers, or will they continue to be sidelined?
