|
Momodou
Denmark
11730 Posts |
 Posted - 09 Dec 2006 : 15:25:51
|
Foroyaa Editorial
The Forthcoming Trade Season
We are now in December but the producer price of groundnuts and the commencement of the trade season are yet to be announced. No statement has been issued by the government on the matter.
Last year the producer price was reduced from D8, 100 per tonne to D7, 500 per tonne. But to pay this amount was a big problem.
Farmers were assured that there would be no credit buying of their nuts by traders. On the contrary, after the very first cash purchases, the subsequent purchases were on credit basis. The farmers gave their nuts on credit with the hope that they will be paid in a matter of days. To their great disappointment it took months before many of them were paid, thereby intensifying the suffering of the people.
In short, the government has been unable over the years to mobilize enough funds to purchase the nuts of the farmers. The consequences are credit buying and under purchase of the nuts.
The companies that have been mobilized in recent years to purchase nuts have not invested enough funds to purchase the nuts and have been backed by public funds. Besides, the Government made a mockery of itself in its dispute with Alimenta making it liable to pay 11.4 million dollars. This has to be paid by the Gambian tax payers.
In other words, the government has not yet shown itself capable of handling the groundnut trade, a vital sub sector of the economy. Let us see what it will come up with this year. The fact that it is still silent up to this hour is a sign of a bad start.
Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No.110/2006, 8-10 December, 2006
|
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
|
Topic Locked
