By Bakary Touray Jnr
The Vice President of The Gambia, Dr. Isatou Touray recently presided over the official launching US$7.7 Million Agricultural Rice Value Chains Transformation Programme.
The Five year project is being funded by the African Development Bank (AFDB) and the Government of The Gambia, to be implemented in Central River Region South and North, and Upper River Region, respectively.
The project targets over 15,000 households and 500 young entrepreneurs across the country. One of the objectives of the project is to improve farm income, rural livestock production, food nutrition and security and reduce poverty.
Dr. Touray stated that rice sub-sector development is crucial to the economic development of The Gambia.
“As a staple food commodity in the country with annual demand of over 200, 000 metric tons with self-sufficiency rate of 17% between 2000 and 2018, the rice importation bill is a considerable drain on our balance of payment,” she remarked.
She told her audience that modernizing the Agriculture sector is one of the cornerstones of the national development blueprint; and that rice value-chain as one of the priority interventions targeting production to increase up to 112,000 metric tons by 2021, is in line with the project’s objectives.
VP Touray commended the African Development Bank for creating the enabling policy environment for active participation of agribusiness entrepreneurs in general and for those businesses who wish to seize the enormous opportunities that exist in the rice sector of The Gambia.
Mr. Ken John, representative of the African Development Bank, thanked the Government of the Gambia through the Ministry of Agriculture for creating the environment for project implementation.
He acknowledged that the Gambia Government continues to demonstrate an interest in the development of Agriculture.
Noting that rice is very important for The Gambia, Mr. John held that it’s blessed with abundant water and land resources that could meet the challenges of rice in the country; adding “all what is needed is the organization, fiscal will and the support of friends of the Gambia”.
He said this is the first phase of the project amounting to 7.7 US$ but as intended, the Islamic Development Bank would provide another additional sum of 26.55 million dollars to rice development in the Gambia.
The Project Director, Lamin Fatajo pointed out that the project would be implemented in CRR north and south and URR, targeting over 15,000 value Chain stakeholders, 500 youth Entrepreneurs in rice field sector and 30 small and medium scale Entrepreneurs, mostly women.
He said the aim is to improve the income of farmers, rural livestock production and improve food and nutrition security and reduce poverty.
