Gambian President
By Landing Ceesay
President Adama Barrow has told National Assembly Members (NAMs) that the Ministry of Agriculture is currently implementing projects worth USD$294.13 million.
“At present, the Ministry of Agriculture is implementing eight major projects, with a total portfolio of USD$294.13 million mobilised through partner support,” Barrow told the NAMs.
The President added that in 2021, Gambia’s Agriculture sector registered increases above national average, in the production levels of crops, such as paddy, maize, millet, groundnut, and sesame.
He said his government and partners, such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the World Food Programme, the African Development Bank, and the Islamic Development Bank, jointly fund these projects.
The Gambian President said the production of key commodities, like vegetables, fruits, milk, and eggs, also increased; as a result, the per capita availability of those food items has increased, even though both population and demand increased.
President Barrow further told the NAMs that due to increased support from FAO and WFP, commercial poultry farming increased by about 40% in 2021.
“To boost the incomes of farming households, the Government has in the past five years invested heavily to modernise and transform our agriculture sector. As a result, through donor-funded projects, the sector was able to reach 300 communities, thus opening 6, 000 hectares for rice cultivation, 400 hectares for vegetable production, and more than 100 poultry schemes to boost the availability of poultry meat and locally produced eggs. These investments and their results have laid a solid foundation for the sector’s investment plan,” he said.
The head of state said his Government plans to create a fund that would carry about 70% guarantee to financial institutions for credit financing of agricultural investments by either individuals or SMEs.
“Hopefully, this will induce the needed capital to transform and modernise agriculture in the country,” he told NAMs.
The President made the remarks in his State of the Nation Address 2022 today at the National Assembly in Banjul.
Section 77 (1) of the 1997 Constitution requires the President to attend a sitting of the National Assembly and address a session on the condition of the State, the policies of the Government, and the administration of the State, at least once in a year.
Today’s event marked the 6th State of Nation Address (SoNA) by President Adama Barrow, since his ascension to power in 2017, after defeating then President Yahya A.J.J Jammeh in the 1st December 2016 presidential election.