By Arret Jatta
The Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), held a one-day validation workshop on the National Grain Reverse Project on Wednesday at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Centre.
This initiative is in line with the National Food Security Storage Strategy 2021-2026 of the ministry and the regional food reserve strategy of Ecowas.
The WFD country director Mrs Miranda Sende remarked that the initiative could not have come at a more critical moment as the global food and nutrition security situation is as vulnerable as ever.
“In The Gambia, for example, 69 percent of the population live below the poverty line and 29 percent are food insecure, according to the recent data we collected in the past month,” she highlighted.
Ms Sende added that agricultural production in The Gambia is low, as the country continues to cover only 50 percent of its food requirements.
She also noted that the project will contribute to preventing and alleviating these adverse effect while also building national and regional preparedness capacities.
The minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security Dr Demba Sabally, stated: “The Government of The Gambia has outlined a comprehensive framework for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of strategies such as the Recovery-Focused National Development Plan, that is 2023-2028, the National Food Storage Policy, 2020-2026, and the National Agricultural Investment Plan, that is GINAP2, 2021-2026, among others, in which the Government is committed to strengthening the productive sectors”.
He added that in line with the above, the government through the ministry, is committed to four targets by 2030.
Mr Karl Frederick Paul, the resident coordinator of UN also noted that food is a basic human right, yet global hunger levels remain high, especially in West Africa where the situation remains critical.
“In The Gambia, food security and nutrition remain vulnerable due to a combination of successive and overlapping challenges that amplify structural inequalities,” he underscored.
