The co-founder of the Gam-Holland Poultry Investment Company, Mr. Assan Secka, has indicated to Mansa Banko Online Newspaper that their poultry company is a purely Gambian investment company engaged in the production of poultry feeds of all types.
In an exclusive interview at his operating office in New Yundum, Kombo North of West Coast Region, Secka mentioned Ms. Bintou Sosseh as his business partner, as the young poultry feeds investor also said he had been in this industry for over 10 years now, working in various farms and production centers.
He disclosed that they had invested eleven million dalasis (D11,000,000) into the business, saying they are into chicken feeds production, rearing of birds for inexperienced or busy farmers as well as selling of poultry equipment such as drinkers and feeders.
Secka however, informed that Sosseh had a poultry farm called BNH and he (Assan) was handling the technical aspect of this farm, but they eventually ventured into poultry feed production because getting quality feeds for their expanded BNH poultry farm in the Gambia was not a piece of cake for them anymore. This, he pointed out, pushed them into feeds production to satisfy their needs but also supply other farmers in the country.
The Gam-Holland Poultry Investment Company co-owner further recalled the actual poultry farm started in 2013, while the feeds production started operational in 2017, noting that it was always difficult to get the feeds for their birds; but they even realized that many farmers in the Gambia were going through the same nightmare in terms of access to poultry feeds.
He said their staff usually benefit from several capacity building (trainings) in poultry in the Netherlands through a Dutch friend who connects Gam-Holland with other poultry companies like Havens–a big poultry player in the Netherlands, hence the name Gam-Holland.
However, Secka is of the view that Gambians usually don’t easily accept products or services that are purely Gambian, a mentality that compelled them to brand their company with a global touch to attract local farmers or eliminate that stereotype against Gambian products and services. “We (Gambians) don’t usually value our own,” he regrettably said.
He indicated that Havens company in the Netherlands is responsible for Gam-Holland’ feeds production aspect through laboratory testing, supply of the needed concentrate–as twenty (20) percent of the feeds is coming from the Netherlands for layers, thirty (30) percent for broilers, whilst the rest of the components come from the Gambia.
Secka told this medium their initial capital was three million dalasis but they later had a loan of seven (7) million dalasis from a private individual at a cheaper interest rate of six (6) percent. He explained they had to add another one million dalasis which piled up to eleven (11) million dalasis altogether, as a startup capital for Gam-Holland company, disclosing from this, they were able to purchase the necessary equipment, take care of overhead bills and create over twenty eight (28) jobs for Gambians.
Gam-Holland has two feeds production machines that could produce over thirty bags of different poultry feeds in every forty-five (45) minutes.
However, Secka admitted that not many Gambian poultry farmers are really patronizing them as most of them would prefer to buy their poultry feeds from Senegal than from Gam-Holland. He charged that, this mentality has to change if the industry is to strive for hay days ahead.
“We need to support each other as Gambians, especially poultry farmers in this country,” Secka urged.
In his view, the Gambia government “is not helping” local investors like them, and he tried to justify his opinion by revealing they (Gambia-Holland) have written to their line ministry and central government several times but nothing usually comes out from such engagements.
Secka’s exact words, “We have equally filled several forms from private partners but nothing tangible ever happened.” He suggested in order to alleviate the hiking price of local chickens, government must create that competitive environment for birders and decrease the importation of chickens into the country.
Secka concluded by saying their future ambition is to create a one-stop-shop for poultry products and services as well as training in the Gambia for Gambian poultry farmers.
