|
Momodou
Denmark
11737 Posts |
 Posted - 02 Nov 2007 : 17:37:21
|
Cotton Farmers Speak Out After One Year Of Frustration
By Lamin Fatty
Cotton farmers in CRR and URR have received the moneys owed them by Gamcot. This development happened after one year of waiting which was characterized by anger, frustration and hardship. Speaking to this reporter at the Gamcot office after receiving his money, Kunna Bah, a farmer and a native of Sarejideh in the Wuli East District pointed out that his cotton weight 300kg which according to him is equivalent to D2200 after paying all his inputs credit to Gamcot. He said that he does not cultivate cotton this season because of difficulties in getting the usual raw materials (seeds) from the company. He said the only crop he cultivated is coos.
Another farmer, Jiddeh Bah, also a native of Sare Jiddeh told this reporter that his cotton weight over 1000kg. He said he paid D1275 to Gamcot, being the cost of the input he took from Gamcot. He said he was finally left with D8, 890. He also added that he does not cultivate cotton this year due to the fact that he encountered difficulties. He explained that normally at the beginning of the rainy season, Gamcot officials do visit the farmers who want to grow cotton and supply them with seeds and fertilizers; that this t year no Gamcot staff was seen ; that in the whole of Wuli East and Central, only three farmers cultivate cotton; that even those three farmers who cultivate cotton, got their seeds from neighbouring Senegal.
When asked where these farmers are going to sell their cotton to since Gamcot did not advice them to grow cotton, he said that what these three farmers told him was that they are going to sell it to Senegal if Gamcot will not buy it. He called on the management of Gamcot to look into better management strategies to improve cotton production. Jiddeh Bah remarked that Gambian farmers are now desperate since groundnut production is already in shambles and the sustainability of cotton production is also seriously at stake.
Alagie Abdou Keita, at Foday Kunda, said he received D5,640after paying the money he owed Gamcot.. He urged Gamcot to supply farmers with seeds at the right time, otherwise farmers will end up diversifying from cotton to other food crops that are consumed locally. He finally urged farmers to continue to produce cotton and not to be threatened or discouraged by their ordeal.
Another farmer interviewed was Tamba Saho, said to be a native of Bani in the Kantora District who explained that his cotton weighed 441kg which earned him D3,080 after paying the money he owed Gamcot. He also said that he did not cultivate cotton because of the same reasons advanced by the other farmers but that he used to grow cotton.
Pa Sarjo Sanyang, a native of Song Kunda in the Kantora District also an area president, said he cannot remember how many kilos his cotton had weighed , but was paid D1160.00 after paying his debts. He said he has not seen a single cotton farm in the whole of Kantora District because of the constraints. Alpha Bah, the National President of the Gambia Cotton Growers Association (COGA) said he was happy and comfortable that the farmers are finally paid. He said all that he was craving for was for farmers to receive their money; that as a leader you can never be comfortable if your followers are in trouble or in difficulty. He thanked the farmers for their understanding and cooperation by maintaining patience; that this is what is expected of them. The COGA president said he cultivated cotton this year .He said he did use the seeds he gathered from his farm last year to cultivate cotton this year.He said Gamcot will buy the cotton. Mr. Bah finally appealed to the government for support as cotton contributes a lot towards the economy of the country and that cattle benefit a lot from the cottonseed as a good source of animal feed. When contacted to shed light on the issues raised by the cotton farmers, the Manager of Gamcot Amadou Danso said the government had written to the parent company, Dagis, in France for them to meet with the sister company in Senegal in order to discuss the future of the company. Mr. Danso, however, pointed out that Gamcot can be sustained for one year with the present cash flow at their disposal.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issues
Issue No. 129/2007, 2 – 4 November 2007
|
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
|
Topic Locked
