By Lamin Kujabi
His Excellency President of the Republic of The Gambia Adama Barrow recently visited a 4-km rice field in Bayaba, located in the Sami District of the Central River Region North, to observe the progress of a rice project aimed at improving food security. After the inspection of the rice farm, President Barrow in an interview called for private sector investment in rice production to enhance food security. He further explained the importance of the project as far as food security is concern. “We attach great importance to rice production as rice is major food item in the country; it is different from other products because its production involves lot of cost. One has to have lot of resources to be able to engage in rice production. Therefore, we need people with resources combined with government support to ensure high productivity,” President Barrow posited. He assured Amidou Jah and others who are interested in rice production of his government’s commitment. He further took the opportunity to thank Jah and his team for supporting food security in the country.
He noted that Mr Jah is not only producing rice but also creating jobs for Gambians - an initiative he said is very significant in growing the economy and eradicating hunger, addressing food security and unemployment. “It is against this that government will support Jah and whoever want to venture into rice production”. He called on Gambians to take rice production as a business so that Gambia can produce rice all- year-round. President Barrow disclosed that his government targets food self-sufficiency in 2030 and it could be achieved even earlier than that. Momodou Hydara, General Manager of Jah Oil explained that they have done some test to comprehend the soil and to identify the appropriate equipment to ensure smooth operation in the future.
“This year, we were able to harvest using both manual and combined harvester available. We are going to build massive warehouses for storage of our produce. In addition, we have divided the land into two but the large area of the land will be used for rice cultivation while 100 hectares will be used for potato production, 100 hectares for onion, another 100 hectares for corn. We believe that production of potatoes and onion will help boost food self-sufficiency in the country, fight hunger and eradicate poverty,” he stated. Mr. Hydara highlighted that their company is a private sector initiative but also a national project. He thanked President Barrow and the Minister of Agriculture for their support The President was accompanied by Honourable Dr. Demba Sabally, Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Huma, Director General of Department of Agriculture, and delegation. They were received at the farm by Amidou Jah and his team.
