Banjul, 16th June 2025: In a landmark event, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security launched the National Seeds Programme for 2025.
Held at the National Seeds Secretariat in Abuko, the launch ceremony drew a diverse gathering, including the Honorable Minister of Agriculture, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, the FAO Country Representative, project directors, and farmers.
Hon. Dr. Demba Sabally, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security, spoke passionately about the government’s commitment to boosting national food security through certified seeds. He noted that as a sector-wide approach, this is accompanied by capacity strengthening of smallholder farmers on good agricultural practices, supported by a strong network of farmers, field schools, and capped with the recently rolled out e-Extension platforms.
Considering the importance of protecting our environment and adequately responding to the vagaries of climate change, the Input Subsidy Programme is premised on providing environmentally-friendly, sustainable inputs that preserve soil health, minimise water usage, and reduce exposure to hazardous chemicals.
The expected outcomes of these inputs include increased productivity, enhanced livelihood, food and nutrition security, and community resilience. The minister stated that the success of these initiatives depends on collaboration, while urging all stakeholders, farmers, community leaders, the agriculture extension fraternity, researchers, and private players to work together for the attainment of their shared values and aspirations in the agriculture sector.
This year, the input support from the government includes 536MT of certified rice seeds, 236MT of high-yield maize seeds, 56MT of groundnut seeds, and 2.25MT of cowpea. Despite these indispensable contributions, they are faced with numerous barriers that hinder productivity, among which are limited access to quality inputs such as certified seeds and other vulnerabilities.
The Project Director at GAFSP, Mr. Modou Sowe, who is also the acting Project Coordinator at Central Project Coordinating Unit (CPCU), Ministry of Agriculture, outlined that the National Seeds Secretariat has played a crucial role in ensuring that quality seeds that are within standards are acquired and are in line with the National Seeds Policy and related regulations.
In total, projects will be distributing 829 metric tons of seeds consisting of rice, maize, groundnut, cowpea, and for the first time, ‘Findi’ will be available. This will enable the cultivation of about 20,000 hectares of farmland all over the country.
Mr Sowe acknowledged the challenges attached to this task but assured the office’s full commitment to continue to work towards meeting the project objectives and, by extension, the sector’s goal to modernise agriculture, improve food security and economic growth as enshrined in the country’s Recovery Focused National Development Plan.
Mr. Bakary Gassama, Director of the Regional Agriculture Directorate, West Coast Region, affirmed the importance of seeds in agriculture, noting that quality seeds are the foundation of food production.
He said the launch of the National Seeds Programme symbolises the ministry’s collective commitment to improving the seed system, increasing yields, and achieving sustainable agricultural development. Gassama extends his deepest gratitude to the development partners, including the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank, and FAO.
In attendance at the launching ceremony were the sister projects under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock & Food Security, including GIRAV, GAFSP, RRVCDP, and ROOTS projects.
By Landing Sallah
