By Amadou Jadama
A week after President Barrow announced an unprecedented D32,000 per ton groundnut price, the farmers’ platform president in North Bank Region, Sambou Dampha, has said it should be at least D50,000 per ton.
In a telephone interview with The Standard, Dampha said those who were clapping as the president announced the price are not farmers, and so they do not know the amount of labour, investment, fertilizer and other things that farmers face in producing a ton of groundnut.
Mr Dampha said the groundnut price should be fixed in line with similar consideration that was given to civil servants whose salaries were at least increased a bit, and who are still complaining that the takehome is too small.
“In our case, we only get paid once, and with commodity prices going up by the day, how can the small money from our groundnut sustain us until the next trade season?” Dampha asked.
He noted that instead of giving platform to non-farmers or politicians to address him on his tour, the president should look out for members of farmers’ platform or ordinary farmers to hear from them.
