By Alieu Bah
As reports of many more Gambian farmers crossing to the other end of the Gamban borders to sell their hard-earned groundnuts to Senegalese middlemen, abound, Mansa Banko Online contacted Alhagie Mbye Faye of Fass Saho Secco {a designated groundnut buying point} to establish the veracity or otherwise, of the claims.
He confirmed that they operated once but realized that farmers were not bringing their groundnuts to the Secco due to low price.
Faye spoke out on the current situation besetting the buying and selling of groundnuts at the Secco, disclosing that farmers are selling their groundnuts to middlemen and Senegalese, for a better price.
He alleged Gambia government’s “failure” to buy a kilo of groundnut at D25, as the Fass Saho Secco worker went on to posit that, “when they buy it at D25.00 per kilo, it will motivate farmers to sell their groundnuts”. His reason is that, because a ton would then be more than D18,000.00.
Reports reaching Mansa Banko Online revealed that a good number of farmers in the North Bank Region (NBR) adamant in selling their groundnuts to traders in neighboring Senegal.
This reporter visited some Seccos to verify the information from the farmers, but found out that the Seccos are empty.
However, our reporter could see several Gambians farmers with donkey carts and some Taxi-baggage loaded with groundnut bags heading to the Senegalese border to sell their groundnuts.
One Ismaila Bah, a renowned farmer in Kerr Dekodeh village, Upper Niumi District, lamented the poor pricing for groundnuts by the government, opining that D18,000.00 per ton is “not a good price” to them.
He pointedly said the price that the government gave “is very poor and can’t match that of the middlemen”.
The farmer argued: “For me and many other farmers, we would prefer to sell our groundnuts to either Gambian or Senegalese middlemen because they are paying good price.
“If you sell it to the middlemen, they bought one ton for D21, 000.00 and sometimes above.”
Another Farmer from Fass Saho, Mr. Ebrima Joof, re-echoed similar sentiments and appealed to the Barrow administration to turn its attention to the farmers by providing them with a standard market, and better prices for their farm produce.
Joof also spoke of the difficulties they usually encounter while transporting their groundnuts to the Karang border in Senegal, reporting that, “the Senegalese security personnel always intercept us along the way, and charge us to pay an amount or they will seize our groundnuts”.
The Fass Saho farmer made it clear that, government cannot improve agriculture on the basis of mere pronouncements, “but should act and fulfill the promises they made to farmers”, which include good prices for their produce.
