By Ousman Seckan
Mr. Ali Sallah, a poultry farmer, has added his voice to the call for the government of The Gambia to ban the importation of chicken into the country. Noting that many young Gambians across the country are now engaged in poultry business, Sallah is of the view that they are capable of meeting the demand of the Gambian people.
A resident of Old Yundum, in the West Coast RegioSallah, who has been in poultry farming for 10 years now, deals in both layer chickens and broilers.
In an interview with Mansa Banko Online, he bemoaned that he has begun to be dispirited about the enterprise, as they had made several calls on the government to ban the long-standing importation of chicken, which is substantially retarding the growth of local poultry farmers.
Aside from Ramadan period, Sallah observed that market is always a problem for them, which compelled them to repeatedly urge the government to put a ban on chicken import.
“If it is not in Ramadan, if you have many chickens, you won’t able to sell them. This is why many people start poultry farming and quit it. Market is the problem of poultry farmers in The Gambia. “We, the poultry farmers, have knocked many doors with a view to put a stop to the importation of chicken, but their [authorities’] message has always been that: Will The Gambia poultry farmers be able to meet the demand of the people?’’ Sallah said of the response from government officials.
But for Sallah, if the importation is not stopped, the authorities wouldn’t know whether they can meet the demand of the market or not. He stated that, like other countries, Gambia must give chance to her citizens to take charge of the poultry trade.
He added: “I think they should stop the importation and give us a period of four months or so to be able to meet the demand of the people. It doesn’t necessarily mean that once the importation is stopped, we should able to meet the demand at once. It does not work like that. Gambian youth like poultry farming, so if the importation is banned, they will fully embrace the sector for more production.’’
The Old Yundum poultry farmer further held that, a ban on the importation of chicken will encourage Gambians to invest heavily in poultry business, and those already engaged in the trade will be motivated to expand their businesses.
‘’Those who have money will employ youth to work in poultry farms, while those who are engaged in it will expand their businesses and also employ more people. This will make companies to venture into poultry business, which will make Gambian youth to pick up jobs with them as drivers or sellers of chickens,’’ Sallah opined.
Saying he has a plot of land he wants to use as poultry farm, but Sallah was quick to point out that market for the business has been a concern to him.
He lamented: “I already secured a land [on] which I want to make my poultry farm, but if I spend the little money on it, for instance, I buy one thousand or two thousand broilers and I don’t have market at the end of the day, it means it is a futile exercise and a waste of resources.’’
The young entrepreneur at Serrekunda Market, who is also into groundnut selling and farming, said government needs to help the youth in order to reduce the unemployment rate and criminality in the country, rather than incarcerating them whenever they commit crimes.
Sallah posited that if someone commits a crime and is taken to prison, he or she should be taught skills for the entire period of his or her stay in prison. This, he believes, would enable the person to acquire skills and also enhance the government to stamp out crimes in the country.
