By Amadou Bah
Rice farmers in Kuntaur and neighbouring villages, and agriculture workers converged at the Kuntaur Rice Field recently for a field day designed to showcase the impressive performance of the high-quality climate-smart certified rice seeds they received from the GIRAV project in 2023.
The event was organised by the Regional Agriculture Directorate for the CRR North through the World Bank-funded Gambia Inclusive and Resilient Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (GIRAV).
The event, presided over by Hon. Musa Mbye, Governor for the Central River Region (CRR), accorded farmers, extension workers and policy makers the opportunity to come together, interact and share experiences, as well as advocate more support for the rice farmers.
In his remarks, Governor Musa Mbye underscored the significance of the field day and paid a glowing tribute to the Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and the GIRAV project for the life-changing interventions in the Kuntaur Rice Field. He also used the opportunity to thank World Bank for funding the GIRAV project.
Governor Mbye called on farmers to take ownership of project interventions and make maximum use of the support being provided by GIRAV and other projects for the attainment of the desired objectives. He assured the farmers that their challenges are well noted and assured of government’s commitment to the attainment of the national target of self-sufficiency in rice by 2030.
Alhagie Pierre Bah, Chief of Niani District also acknowledged the contributions of Government through various projects under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security and FAO in increasing rice production and productivity in his district. He emphasised the need for farmers to endeavour to be seed secured and to ensure the efficient management of the farm machinery being provided by government and development partners through the agricultural projects. Chief Bah also challenged the farmers to make sure that funds being generated through the ploughing services are well managed and efficiently reinvested to ensure continuity and timely access to ploughing services.
Several other speakers including Demba Jawo, Alkalo of Kuntaur Fula Kunda; Hamang Komma, President, CRRN Rice Farmers Association; and Mama Sanneh, women’s leader at Wassu, all commended the Regional Agriculture Directorate, GIRAV Project, the FAO and the RVCTP for enabling a bumper harvest from the dry season production.
“FAO helped with the desilting of the irrigation canals. GIRAV project and the RVTCP provided inputs through the Regional Agriculture Directorate which also provided advisory services. These interventions enabled thousands of farmers from 45 communities to engage in dry season rice production this year and this is why the rice fields are looking the way they are”, the noted with gratitude.
They however singled out land preparation, lack of access roads, inadequate power tillers, combined harvesters and rice threshers as major challenges and appealed for more government and donors support to address them.
Mustapha Drammeh, Deputy Director General, Department of Agriculture speaking on behalf of the Department and the Ministry also thanked the FAO, the Central Projects Coordinating Unit (CPCU) and the various projects investing in the development of the rice value chains in the region. He said: “The contributions from the GIRAV Project, FAO and other projects have made today’s event possible. Field Day is an important activity. It provides a platform to showcase the achievements of farmers and the government”. He thanked the World Bank for funding the GIRAV project.
Amadou Bah, Communication Officer, GIRAV Project, speaking on behalf of Abdoulie Touray, GIRAV Project Coordinator, highlighted the importance the project attaches to the development of commercial agriculture in the Gambia. He explained that since 2022, the project has procured 450Mts of Certified Rice seeds and 300MTs of certified maize seeds of different varieties to help increase access and adoption of climate-smart seeds that are early-maturing, high-yielding, drought and salt-tolerant. Each year, the project hands over the seeds to the DoA for onward distribution amongst interested farmers as part of efforts aimed at building a productive and climate-resilient Agri-Food System in The Gambia, he added.
Responding to challenges highlighted by the farmers, he informed that the project will also provide some light equipment to help boost production and productivity. He also explained that the GIRAV project through the Matching Grant Scheme has also provided smallholder farmers and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) the opportunity to invest in equipment to provide the much-needed services for actors along the five priority value chains of the project namely rice, maize, cashew, poultry and horticulture (including mango).
Mustapha Bah, Agriculture Director for CRRN who chaired the event explained that 45 communities within Niani district are dependent on the Kuntaur rice field as their source of livelihoods. He said the government is playing its part citing the interventions of various projects and called on farmers to game up for the achievement of national self-sufficiency in rice by 20230.
