The recent out breakout of the contagious respiratory illness of birds called H5N1 bird flu (avian influenza) in Senegal, a country that surrounds The Gambia on all sides but the coastline on the Atlantic Ocean, has forced Gambian authorities to put a ban on importation of chickens and other poultry products from the affected country until further notice, as part of precautionary measures.
Mr. Alhagie Y. Babou is a lecturer at the University of The Gambia (UTG) who operates, alongside with his bother, a family poultry business in Basori Village, Kombo East of West Coast Region.
Reacting to the developments in Senegal, he rhetorically intimated to our reporter that, if Gambians could break the shackles of political dependency on Britain (Gambia’s former coloniser), why couldn’t they do the same for economic independence on another country–apparently referring to Gambia’s immediate neighbour, Senegal. He went further to say all the products, from feeding to H1b vaccines, are imported from neighbouring Senegal, and are hardly available in the Gambia. And that, almost all inputs are currently imported from Senegal. Babou, therefore, wondered why The Gambia, an independent country, “cannot exercise sovereignty in the poultry industry”.
He asserted that as far as this (poultry) business is concerned, they are entirely dependent on Senegal; bemoaning “now that there is an outbreak of bird flu [in Senegal], I am scared to my [very] bones”. The Basori poultryman posited that stopping all importations from Senegal should be the control measures that ought to be taken until the avian flu pandemic is controlled in that country.
The poultry industry in the Gambia is rapidly growing despite the endless challenges, a frustrating situation painted by almost all poultry farmers in the country, including Babou, who started the family poultry business with his younger brother who lives in Europe in 2020.
He informed Mansa Banko Online during an exclusive interview via WhatsApp on January 17, 2021, that one of the biggest challenges they are facing is the high cost of chicken feed, and also the availability of market for their products. The profit margin is too narrow, and more than half of his expenses goes into purchasing of chicken feeds, according to him.
Babou recalled that he got into the poultry business when his younger brother in abroad suggested to him about bird-rearing (poultry) business, and that his younger provides all the capital whilst he takes care of the farm as well as the vehicle at home.
The lecturer-cum-poultry business co-owner explained the rationale behind their business, that is to say: creating employment for youth so as to reduce irregular migration; contribute to food security; facilitate the availability of food, as well as reduce the dependency of African countries on the importation of food from other countries.
He is of the view that the Gambia government and its respective departments are not serious about uplifting the poultry sector, adding “this is the problem for agriculture”. Babou highlighted that “over eighty percent of the population” is employed by the agricultural sector, hence it needs to be recognized. He stressed that people need to be serious about agriculture. The fact that they (Babou and his brother) are able to provide relatively affordable nutritious foodstuff to the neighbours is the first achievement, he held.
“Our major challenges include the high cost of feeding which makes our products too expensive compared to imported frozen poultry meat from Europe. We seek genuine partners who are willing to invest in the industry to come forward and join us in the business,” Babou pointed out.
On access to water supply, the two brothers had erected a solar-powered borehole that supplies the poultry farm. But their current concern, as Babou disclosed, is that the poultry industry needs to grow in the Gambia as they feel imported food consumed by Gambians should not be prepared by outsiders, forever.
His thoughts: “We are Africans and we need to realize our position in the minds of other races. There is a lot of fear in our minds about the intention of others towards our [Africans’] wellbeing. We could not trust other people anymore, to give us food as we are not sure how it is prepared.”
