By Sarjo Jarju
The beneficiaries of National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development (Nema) Project’s ‘Matching Grant Facility’, have expressed heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the benefactor (Nema) for supporting their various youth groups with processing and pressing machines.
It could be refreshed on 21st June, 2019, 14 (fourteen) youth groupings across the length and breadth of the country received over 16 (sixteen) rice, cereal processing and oil pressing machines through the Matching Grant Scheme at a presentation held at its office grounds in Abuko.
The Matching grant is designed to innovate, develop and build medium term financial services adapted to women and youth groups and individual-based Small and Medium Enterprises.
In an exclusive chat with Mansa Banko Online News, one of the beneficiaries of the machineries, Ahagie Muya Baldeh, the president of Mbaalondiren Youth Development Association of Basse in Upper River Region, commended the Nema project for the gesture. He observed that the machines came at the right time as there was only one processing machine in their community, which is owned by a Senegalese national.
With the availability of these equipment in their community, the Association’s head is hopeful that the problems of processing their farm produce would now be history.
Baldeh added that the machines would serve as an employment opportunity for some of their young people, reasoning that they would be responsible for the handling of the machines and also be paid monthly allowances.
He disclosed that the facilities would be used for income generation by his association as they would charge D100.00 for processing per bag compared to the Senegalese processor who charges D110.00.
The Mbaalondiren Youth Development Association boss took advantage of the interview, to salute the Nema Project officials for coming to their aid, and consequently empowering them.
Mr. Musa Bah, the President of Bolongdala Rice Processing from Wassu, in Central River Region North (CRR), is another beneficiary of the Nema largesse, and he confirmed to this online medium that the machines have started benefiting his Association and the community, at large.
President Bah is optimistic that these Nema-provided rice milling and pressing machines, which were hitherto, non-existent in his community, would ease the processing burden the people of Central River Region North had been carrying.
His recollection; “We used to collect from anyone who has more than five bags of paddy rice from his or her farm to process it in the nearby community and return it back to their homes.” He noted that the machines would benefit his Association in terms of creating employment for their members, since there are already customers within the community.
The Bolongdala Rice Processing President attributed his Association’s eligibility for the Matching Grant, to their “hard work”, acknowledging that the Global Youth Innovation Network (GYIN) Gambia Chapter nominated his Association to the Nema Project, to apply the grant for a rice processing machine and a pressing machine.
As part of the Grant scheme, he divulged that the Association is required to contribute 10 percent, while the grant would provide 60 percent, and the remaining 30 percent would be paid by his Association as a loan within two (2) years.
While giving the Nema project a pat on the back for coming up with the grant scheme, the President of Bolongdala Rice Processing Association used his media interview with Mansa Banko to exhort other institutions to emulate Nema.
