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Momodou
Denmark
9381 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Feb 2019 : 08:38:58
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Still No Cash At Seccos
Foroyaa: February 6, 2019
Abdoulai G.Dibba
http://foroyaa.gm/still-no-cash-at-seccos/
Farmers renew their call for Government to help them address the perennial problem of lack of cash at Seccos, so that they can receive their hard earned income.
Farmers in the following Seccos within the respective depot circles of the Bara, Kerewan, Kaur, Bansang, and Kudang, made these calls on Monday February 4, 2019.
According to them, there have not been any buying of groundnuts in their respective Seccos since January 15, 2019, due to lack of cash; that up to the time they were giving this information to this reporter, there was no sign that there will be cash available at the Seccos.
Alhagi Njie a farmer, informed this medium that they are at the mercy of middlemen who purchase their groundnuts at cut throat prices, because Government cannot ensure the availability of cash in Seccos, to guarantee the buying of groundnuts.
“Our Secco have been disbursed twice since the beginning of the groundnut trade season and we are yet to receive our monies even though our groundnut has been taken to the depots,” Njie said.
This reporter has confirmed that a total cash of D250 million was disbursed twice. The disbursement of D100 million and D150 million, were the two disbursements of cash made respectively, to buy groundnuts for this year’s trade season so far, which is equivalent to 14,045 metric tons of groundnuts.
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A clear concience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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toubab1020
10042 Posts |
Posted - 10 Feb 2019 : 16:06:56
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February 8, 2019
Banjul, The Gambia—In the wake of recent publications and concerns expressing fear over the viability of the groundnut trade season, His Excellency President Adama Barrow wishes to inform Gambians especially our farming community, that his government attaches great significance to agriculture and that the purchase of groundnuts from our hard working farmers is a responsibility he cannot compromise .
Accordingly, President Barrow has given a directive for the immediate resumption of groundnut buying across the country and makes it categorically clear that the issuing of promissory notes and undue delays of purchasing farmers’ nuts can no longer be business as usual.
Therefore, following the President’s intervention to fix this matter, in the course of next week the National Food Security Corporation (formerly GGC) will be receiving some D396 million through the Central Bank of The Gambia for the immediate purchase of groundnuts from farmers. This money is sufficient to cover all outstanding payments and buy the rest of the nuts waiting in queues in local “seccos” across the countryside.
It can be recalled that the groundnut marketing season began on 17th December 2018 and is expected to officially close on 10th March, 2019.
This year alone, the NFSC is financing 73 Cooperative Societies and there are 23 self-financed traders in the groundnut trade.
The total tonnage received in our depots as at 7th February 2019 is 25,250 Meteric tons and the projected tonnage to be purchased this year is some 35,000 metric tons.
The cash disbursed to “Seccos” as at 7th February 2019 stands at D250million.
Signed:
EGSankareh
…………………
Ebrima G. Sankareh
The Gamba Government Spokesperson
https://www.freedomnewspaper.com/2019/02/08/gambia-government-injects-additional-gmd396-million-to-groundnut-trade-season-govt-spokesman-sankareh-delcares/ |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
10042 Posts |
Posted - 10 Feb 2019 : 16:11:55
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"he was indisposed at the time of going to press. His cellular phone was switched off."
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February 8, 2019
The Gambia Groundnut Corporation (GGC) owes Gambian farmers over two hundred million dalasis (D200 million) since it started buying farmers peanuts on credit buying, Freedom Newspaper can reveal. The parastatal lacks funds to pay Gambian farmers. Thousands of farmers across the country, have been affected by the cash shortage.
The Gambian government had loaned money in the sum of $20 million dollars from the African Development Bank (ADB) to help settle farmers unpaid groundnuts. The loan facility was secured recently. But sources familiar with the loan arraignment said the ADB had insisted that before the funds would be released, The Gambian government must pay up $10 million dollars it owed to the bank.
Lack of timely intervention by the government to clear the pending loan with the ADB had been blamed for the slow disbursement of the loan, sources said. Finance Minister Mamburay Njie had submitted the loan request to the ADB at the eleventh hour.
Meanwhile, Gambian farmers are finding it extremely difficult to put food on the table for their families. They have called on the government to help speed up settling their unpaid peanuts.
Agriculture Minister Lamin Ndambou Dibba was contacted for comment, but he was indisposed at the time of going to press. His cellular phone was switched off.
https://www.freedomnewspaper.com/2019/02/08/gambia-breaking-news-gambia-groundnut-corporation-owes-gambian-farmers-d200-million-dalasis/ |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
10042 Posts |
Posted - 11 Feb 2019 : 17:55:28
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Monday, February 11, 2019
In the wake of recent publications and concerns expressing fear over the viability of the groundnut trade season, His Excellency President Adama Barrow wishes to inform Gambians especially our farming community, that his government attaches great significance to agriculture and that the purchase of groundnuts from our hard working farmers is a responsibility he cannot compromise.
Accordingly, President Barrow has given a directive for the immediate resumption of groundnut buying across the country and makes it categorically clear that the issuing of promissory notes and undue delays of purchasing farmers’ nuts can no longer be business as usual.
Therefore, following the President’s intervention to fix this matter, in the course of next week the National Food Security Corporation (formerly GGC) will be receiving some D396 million through the Central Bank of The Gambia for the immediate purchase of groundnuts from farmers. This money is sufficient to cover all outstanding payments and buy the rest of the nuts waiting in queues in local “seccos” across the countryside.
It can be recalled that the groundnut marketing season began on 17th December 2018 and is expected to officially close on 10th March, 2019.
This year alone, the NFSC is financing 73 Cooperative Societies and there are 23 self-financed traders in the groundnut trade.
The total tonnage received in the depots as at 7th February 2019 is 25,250 Metric tons and the projected tonnage to be purchased this year is some 35,000 metric tons.
The cash disbursed to “Seccos” as at 7th February 2019 stands at D250million.
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/govt-reassures-groundnut-farmers |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
10042 Posts |
Posted - 23 Feb 2019 : 17:47:57
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21/02/2019
A week since government announced D396 million intervention to pay out farmers who owed thousands of tons of groundnut, The Standard has been reliably informed that no payment has been made throughout the country.
As late as last night, a farmer in Basse who contacted us by phone, said he and his group of about 20 have not been paid months after they delivered their nuts to the seccos.
“What we could not understand is why are we not paid since the President made an announcement for them to buy our nuts?” another famer retorted.
The Standard contacted Secco manager Yaya Nyangadou of Wuli Birif who said his secco alone owes farmers some DI.9 million. He added that another secco at Bajakunda owes farmers about D2M.
“Everyday farmers come here to complain that the President has ordered for them to be paid and they could not understand why they are still not paid. We are so depressed and frustrated and each time we contacted the Gambian Food Processing and Marketing Corporation, formerly GGC at the headquarters, we are told that the monies have not reached them yet.”
The Standard tried repeatedly to get a comment from the Corporation but none of the officials contacted could be reached on the phone.
https://standard.gm/?p=53106 |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
10042 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2019 : 12:23:16
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By: Kebba AF Touray February 25, 2019
The question that is on farmers’ lips in the Upper River Region (URR), is the whereabouts of the funds recently announced by Government to purchase their nuts.
This was confirmed to this reporter in an interview with most farmers in the Region, that news of the said fund was received with a lot of relief, only for this relief to start dwindling more and more; that this is due largely to the unavailability of cash at groundnut buying points in Wuli and Sandu districts.
According to Sulayman Batchilly, he was relieved upon hearing the news of the availability of funds to purchase their nuts and thought their cash trap Secco, will start paying them within a week; but that the long wait in the availability of cash at their Secco, has killed his aspirations and expectations of this Government.
“I took five bags of groundnuts to our Secco three months ago, and have not been able to lay hands on my money up to now,” he told this reporter.
Jamanka Chondi on his part said: “We appreciate the infrastructural crusade of the current Government in our area. But lack of cash at our Secco, remains our major nightmare. We call on the authorities to look into the issue and provide us solutions.”
Ebrima Manneh reiterated similar remarks and said he relies on the sales from his groundnuts to fend for his family in terms of paying his children’s tuition fees, health and the feeding needs of the family.
http://foroyaa.gm/farmers-in-urr-question-the-whereabouts-of-cash-to-buy-their-nuts/ |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
10042 Posts |
Posted - 27 Feb 2019 : 12:10:32
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Once again the Standard newspaper has a scoop,not mentioned in any other media that I can find.
(I hope that The Standard has taken the trouble to verify this story !)
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By Lamin Cham 26/02/2019
The Standard has been reliably informed that the farmers whose groundnuts were bought on credit have been finally paid.
A secco manager contacted The Standard yesterday to report that he has paid over D2milion owned to farmers at his secco alone.
“We are now thinking of additional money to buy the remaining groundnut coming to the seccos before the season closes on February 10. That is the new challenge now but all monies owed to the farmers have been paid,” he told The Standard.
Two weeks ago President Barrow’s office intervened by injecting D396 million dalasis from the Central Bank to pay the farmers for groundnuts brought at the seccos.
https://standard.gm/?p=53321 |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Still No Cash At Seccos
