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Momodou
Denmark
11852 Posts |
 Posted - 12 Mar 2008 : 15:03:09
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Foroyaa Editorial
President Jammeh Takes Over Agriculture
What Can He Do?
On Monday, 10 March, 2008, Radio Gambia, the state owned radio, announced the relief of the former Secretary of State for Agriculture, Mr. Kanja Sanneh, from his duties with immediate effect. The release went on to say that President Jammeh has decided to take over the Department of State for Agriculture. But can he deliver?
The President had taken over the portfolio of Agriculture before but that had not changed the situation of agriculture. At the time, the groundnut trade continued to perform poorly, the women gardeners lacked storage facilities and market, etc.
Now that he has taken over again, he has inherited a paralysed groundnut trade season in which most of the seccos (buying points) were unprepared. Farmers who have lost confidence in the ability of traders to purchase their nuts either sold their nuts across the border in Senegal or at the weekly local markets or “lumos”. By the time the GGC had mobilized funds to purchase the nuts of the farmers, most farmers had resolved not to sell their nuts at the seccos or “lumos”.
Foroyaa had dispatched its reporters throughout the country to find out developments on the groundnut trade. It was evident that the groundnut trade was in a dismal state. Even the Upper River Region which fared the best did very badly. The trade figures were much less than last year.
Can president Jammeh turn things around? Can he boost agricultural production, ensure a successful groundnut trade season, facilitate markets and storage facilities for women gardeners, etc? If he can, then he will succeed in his endeavour. Otherwise it will be like a musical chair contest. Needless to say, we cannot rely on his past record.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issues
Issue No. 30/2008, 12 – 13 March 2008
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