Despite Gambia Government’s move to increase the price of groundnuts for the 2020/21 groundnut marketing season, in order to encourage Gambian farmers sell their groundnuts to National Food Security Processing & Marketing Corporation (NFSPMC) formerly Gambia Groundnut Corporation (GGC) through approved Cooperative Primary Marketing Societies (CPMS) across the country, some farmers in the rural Gambia don’t seem to be okay with the prices.
The few provincial farmers who spoke to this reporter in the rural area, still want the government to increase the price, maintaining that would encourage the farming communities to sell their groundnuts at the government buying outlets.
They claimed that the “low price” offered by Gambia government, when compared to the price offered by the private buyers, is a major factor that is making farmers reluctant to sell their groundnuts to the Seccos.
Mr. Mawdo Saidy, a rural farmer informed this medium that at the moment, the private buyers are buying the bulk of farmers’ groundnuts at D1,600 per bag, which, according to him, the farmers are satisfied with.
“Government should consider the increment because this will encourage them to sell their nuts to the government buying points,” argued the farmer who also he re-echoed that farmers are selling their nuts to private farmers “due to the low price” offered to producers, at the government buying points.
A female farmer Ms. Musu Kanteh, claimed: “Last week, I sold four (4) bags of groundnut to a private buyer and each bag was purchased [from me] at D1,600. This has helped me to address the pressing issues that have compelled me to sell my groundnut.”
“I strongly believe that if the government increases its price, the practice of selling our nuts to private buyers would be a thing of the past,” she stressed, during an interview with Mansa Banko Online.
Mr. Ebrima Jamba revealed that at the onset of the groundnut marketing season, he had held on to his produce with the hope of selling it to the government; hoping that government would offer a better price.
Hear him further: “I was elated when the government announced its market price because I felt that the price has increased compared to last year’s price. I was surprised when they scaled [weighed] my nuts and was told that the groundnut worth D1,250. I understand that the weight of the groundnut also contributes to its value in money.”
In his view, government should “emulate” the private buyers who would purchase farmers’ groundnuts at prices ranging from D1,400 to D1,600, without having to weigh the bags.
Meanwhile, Tijan Balajo, a farmer, hailed the government for subsiding fertilizer during the rainy season, acknowledging that has enabled majority of the farmers to get fertilizer to maximize their production.
Notwithstanding, he urged the government to ensure that fertilizer is adequately available, saying despite subsidizing the fertilizer, it wasn’t adequate to meet the demands of farmers.
Another farmer, Ramatoulie Jallow said she sold her groundnuts to the government secco, at D1,300 per bag. She vouched that this groundnut trade season’s price is better than last year’s price. She, however, called on government to adjust the price during the next season.
“The increment would encourage farmers to sell their nuts to government buying points,” Jallow added. She indicated that it’s neither their wish nor in their interest to sell their groundnuts to private buyers when their own government has provided an attractive price for their groundnuts.
