Demba Jallow of Foroya Village in Jarra Central, Lower River Region, is running an animal husbandry farm to counter the frequent importation of livestock from neighboring countries into the Gambia, as he argued most of those imported animals are mostly not healthy enough.
“I started with five sheep and, presently, I have ten sheep and four goats,” he told Mansa Banko Online during an interview. This, the Foroya native reasoned, had motivated him to venture into animal husbandry after attending several training programmes at the Yerro Beri Kunda (YBK)Animal Husbandry Department in Central River Region-South.
Jallow is currently the Manager of the said farm, with support from his younger brother. He lamented the costs of feeding and medication for the animals as their main challenges, while admitting he had experienced a lot of challenges at the start of the business. But he intimated that with determination and passion, he was able to overcome some of them. He disclosed that ten (10%) percent of the sales made belongs to his younger brother, whom he praises for the wonderful support he renders to the success of the farm.
“I commenced in 2017, but turned it as a business in 2018,” Jallow, who is determined to provide quality and healthy animals throughout the Gambia, with easy access to animals such as goats and sheep, told this medium.
“It is something that Gambians should venture into in order to increase the economic standard of the country,” he suggested.
Animal husbandry is another area where employment opportunities for young Gambians could be created thereby curbing irregular migration of the youthful population of this country, Jallow pointed out.
The ruminants rearer further said his farm serves the community and students by supplying them with manure which they use as fertilizer in their schools and community gardens.
However, he bemoaned the lack of financial support which hinders the progress of his venture, and observes that not many clients are willing or able to buy large quantities of manure from him–which contributes to his revenue streams. The rural farmer used this interview to call on the Barrow Government, philanthropists and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to come to his aid.
On the prevention of animal diseases, Jallow said he vaccinates his animals, in every six (6) months, against Peste des petits ruminants (PPR)-[an acute or subacute viral disease of goats and sheep characterized by fever, necrotic stomatitis, gastroenteritis, pneumonia,…]–which he claimed is responsible for the deaths of over 75% of goats and twenty percent (20%) of sheep, respectively in the Gambia. He also frequently wash his drinkers to avoid disease outbreak in his farm, as he told us.
The young animal farmer wants those with the means to help him acquire a motorcycle for easy transportation as he is positive that it would effectively ameliorate his transportation challenges.
Of late, Gambian youth are adventuring into different businesses and other entrepreneurial endeavors to provide livelihood for themselves and their families.
But financial support from the state is not forthcoming as expected, despite the entrepreneurial zeal in the youth of this country, according many of these entrepreneurs.
