By Maimuna Sey-Jawo
The Minister of Agriculture has vowed that the new government under the leadership of President Adama Barrow has put a plan to transform and modernise agriculture.
Honourable Omar Jallow was speaking on Monday during the celebration of World Food Day which coincided with International Day for Rural Women held in Farafenni Senior Secondary School in North Bank Region.
The theme for this year’s commemoration was ‘charge the future of migration; invests in food security and rural development’.
The commemoration was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and World Food Programme.
“We as a Government will make sure that agriculture is transformed, modernised and made into not only a productive sector but as well an export oriented sector taking into consideration food security and of course, value change management,”
Commenting on the issue of young people taking the risk journey to Europe for greener pasture, OJ said government has designed measures that will make agriculture attractive to the young people so that they can stay back home, work and develop the country.
He said livestock is another way of generating income to Gambians which millions of Dalasi are used by Gambians to go to Mauritania and Mali to buy sheep and goats and sell them in the Gambia.
He thanked the FAO country director for her efforts in moving agriculture forward and for organising the cerebration of World Food Day.
For her part, the FAO boss Katepa Kalala, the UN food agency is ready to help Gambia in transforming agriculture and also to reduce the issue of youth illegal migration.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Mariama Jack Denton, the governor of the North Bank Region Ebrima Dampha and Abba Sankareh, representative from Department of Agriculture all spoke at the event.
