By Mariama Jallow
As the importation of chicken legs and eggs continues to hinder the progress of poultry business in The Gambia, poultry farmers have been frowning at the move. They have also intensified their calls for the Government of President Adama Barrow to look into the issue and put a stop to it.
Mansa Banko Online recently conducted exclusive interviews with some of the poultry farmers on the fringe of a two-day National Poultry Conference jointly organized by the Department of Livestock Services (DLS), Youth Empowerment Project (YE), the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), and the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Geneva, at a hotel in Kololi.
The conference had gathered the country’s poultry farmers under one roof, and delved into the achievements registered, and also the challenges affecting the progress of poultry production in The Gambia, as well as mapped out the way forward.
President of Poultry Farmers’ Cooperative Society, Mr. Amadou Demba, made similar observations, describing the forum as very timely, since many back way returnees are venturing into schemes sponsored by the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP).
He lamented that the importation of chicken legs and eggs remains a big challenge that is seriously affecting their businesses, and lack of marketing as well.
The head of Poultry Farmers’ Cooperative Society claimed that most of the countries in the sub-region have banned the importation of chicken legs and eggs, except The Gambia.
Demba noted that imported poultry products used to be very cheap, so if they compete with them (importers) regarding prices, local poulterers would not able to sell their products; instead they would be forced to give it out at low prices. And consequently, they (local poulterers) would not able to buy feed for their poultry birds.
According to him, the better time for poultry farmers to sell their products is during the tourist season, as some tourists don’t eat the imported eggs.
Poultry Society President Demba recommended that, in order to eliminate all the afore-mentioned problems facing their business, “we need government policy-makers to make a policy that will protect the interests of farmers for progress, employment and reserve foreign currency- as the importation of poultry production takes foreign currency”.
Demba is confident that a ban on importation of poultry products would enable them produce more, resulting to creating employment for many youth in the country. He held that would discourage them from taking the dangerous “back way” journey to Europe.
Mr. Abdou Njie, the Public Relations Officer of the Gambia Poultry Farmers’ Cooperative Society, described the forum as the first of its kind, bringing all the poultry farmers together to talk about their challenges and the way forward.
He called on government to look into how the importation of local chicken and eggs is affecting the poultry farmers.
The PRO further wants a definitive ban on it, in order to empower the youth of this country and promote home-made products.
While urging the Gambia government to emulate that of Senegal, Njie held the view that if Senegal, which “is six times bigger than The Gambia”, happened to ban the importation of chicken into their country, why not The Gambia-the smallest country in Africa.
Another problem the poultry farmers are facing is the lack of proper marketing for their product, he told Mansa Banko Online.
He said the Agriculture Minister, Madam Amie Fabureh was at the forum during the opening and she has heard of the challenges raised by the farmers, and assured them that she would do something about it.
Ms. Isatou Badjie, a poultry farmer residing in Kunkunjang Mariama, also added her voice to solidify the points raised by her colleagues in the poultry business. She appealed to the Gambian authorities to consider the plights of poultry farmers, disclosing that they are suffering. She hinted that farmers are getting discouraged due to lack of proper marketing of their products.
Madam Badjie used this interview to convey their appeal for help from the government, particularly, the Ministry of Agriculture.
Badjie also saluted the organizers of the event for bringing poultry farmers together-which is seen as the first of its kind in the country- to talk about their challenges and way forward.
