The National Food Security, Processing and Marketing Corporation, formerly the Gambia Groundnut Corporation, which is the institution responsible for groundnut trade, has said contrary to views expressed by the Secretary General of the National Farmer’s Platform, most farmers appreciate the price announced by Government for this new trade season.
President Barrow on Monday said farmers will get D38,000 per ton, but National Farmer’s Platform official Lamin Fadera said the farmers are disappointed about the amount and that the GGC never agreed that price with them.
In response, NFSPMC’s Director for Strategic Development and Planning, Dr Thomas Roberts, said farmers are deeply appreciative of the new price which is a reflection of the regular annual increment since 2018.
“In fact, the groundnut price has increased by over 100 percent since 2018, which was D17,500 per ton. In the course of just five years alone, it has reached D38,000 per ton. This is unprecedented by all standards,” Mr Roberts said.
He continued to clarify that the NFSPMC never promised any farmer group at that Farmers’ Consultative Forum at Jenoi, earlier this month, that it will report back to them with any suggestion about the price of groundnut. Rather, the objective of the forum was to create an open platform for all stakeholders to generally discuss the prospects of the upcoming groundnut trading season.
The NFSPMC official said government has been working hard to strengthen the groundnut sector by empowering the farmers through the timely provision of quality fertiliser at an affordable price, almost D700 cheaper than other countries in the sub-region. In addition, he mentioned that the NFSPMC will continue to support farming communities with rice and other basic food commodities, through farmer cooperatives, in the lean farming season.
