By Aisha Tamba
The Permanent secretary number 2 at the Ministry of Agriculture, Adam Ngum has said that government will continue to support small scale farmers to improve production and productivity.
“The horticulture sector plays significant role in meeting national objectives of employment creation, food and nutrition security, poverty eradication and industrial transformation,” she said.
Speaking further at the opening of a two-day horticultural showroom at Abuko under the theme: ‘Enhancing small-scale women farmers through horticulture commercialization,’ Madam Ngum said the horticulture sector continues to be a major and important contributor to Gambia’s economic growth and development.
She said the sector is contributing more than 4% of the Gross Domestic Product –GDP- and 80 percent of the rural workforce.
“The horticulture sector plays significant role in meeting national objectives of employment creation, food and nutrition security, poverty eradication and industrial transformation,” she added.
She said horticulture show would provide an opportunity for farmers, traders, processors and other service providers in the horticulture value chain sector to exchange valuable technologies and establish business linkages.
Madam Ngum encouraged farmers to take the opportunity of the showroom to learn new technologies and build lasting bridges for increased horticulture crop productivity and income improvement.
She said the theme of the event would boost the spirit of transforming the country into a rapidly industrialized middle- income nation as envisaged in the national development plan.
She used the opportunity to urge players in the sector to ensure adhering to the set market standards for horticultural products and enhance enterprises by venturing into value addition to realise higher returns. She also thanked the NEMA project for their continued support in conducting the important national event.
Banky Njie, business and development officer of the NEMA Project said one of their strategic objectives is to assist women and youth in the rural parts of The Gambia to develop their skills and organisations to take advantage of improved agricultural technologies and effective production services.
