Abdoulai G. Dibba
“Secco” Managers within the Barra, Kerewan, Kaur and Kuntuar GGC Depot circles have informed this medium that the last time they received cash from the Gambia Groundnut Corporation was 11th January 2018.
According to them, from that date to the time of talking to this medium on Saturday 10thJanuary 2018, they did not receive anything from the GGC.
They were reminded by this reporter that cash disbursement to “seccos” according to MD Carvalho, was based on 80 percent evacuation of groundnuts to depots before a new disbursement could be received by them. However, “Secco” Managers lamented that though it takes them four to eight days to discharge their loads at depots, there is no “Secco” within the above mentioned circles that has not evacuated 8o percent of their nuts to their respective depots. They further lamented the time spent at depots to discharge their nuts; that this is impacting negatively on their acquisition of transport to get their groundnuts to depots.
When contacted, the Managing Director of GGC Anthony Carvalho, indicated that the assertions of “Secco” managers are unfounded because they have disbursed funds to them.
He said they’ve signed contract with all the seccos and one of the agreements in the contract is that they are to evacuate 80 percent of any disbursement before the next disbursement and that they are asked not to engage in credit buying.
When informed that secco managers complain of their transports spending four to eight days to discharge their loads at the depot which is making drivers quit the seccos, thus their problem in having transports to carry their nuts to the depot, the GGC MD indicated that they have regularized the operation at the Depots by increasing the labour force as well as the wages of the labourers and their time of work; that work close at 11pm in the depots.
With regard to the regularization of the depots, MD Carvalho stated that “maybe this aspect will not be realized in this trade season but next season and it is the increment of discharge centres in depots”.
He noted that with two or more discharge centres in depots, they will be able to handle the capacity during heavy inflow of groundnuts. “My officials are going to disburse funds and also to check on secco managers who are engage in credit buying because they are not allowed to buy on credit. ‘‘We told them to buy from what we gave them and evacuate it to the depots. That’s all”, he stated.
