A wonderful initiative

Kindly allow me space in your reputable news paper to congratulate His Excellency the president for his 'Back to the Land' programme.

I still remember some twelve years ago, a big meeting in Sibanor, where President Jammeh stood up and said farmers who spent all their time at bantabas doing nothing would be severely dealt with by him.

At that point, most farmers misinterpreted the president and thought he had insulted them. As a journalist for the Agricultural Communication Unit at that time, one farmer whispered into my ears and said "the president has no right to come to our village just to insult us".

I just giggled and vanished. But you see today, most countries within the sub-region have emulated the same agricultural programme which President Jammeh launched some time ago. In Senegal, where I live and work, President Wade also put in place a programme he calls GOANA (The great Agricultural Offensive for Food and Abundance).

This programme whether you believe it or not is a copy of President Jammeh’s. During a recent agricultural seminar in Sally Mbour, I told the minister of Agriculture that GOANA can only be successful if those in authority serve as role models.

I added that though President Jammeh sometimes gets help at his farm, he is often seen working alongside his helpers. Finally, through this medium, I will like to arrange for a team of journalists from Senegal to attend the harvest of the President’s farm in Kanilai. Many colleagues are interested to see the good work that the President has embarked upon to feed Gambians.
Thanks.