DoSA, TTM, others work on President Jammeh’s farms

As harvesting takes centre stage in the farming arena and as part of a response to President Jammeh’s call for support in harvesting Kanilai farms, thousands of individuals from different works of life, continue to arrive at President Jammeh’s farms in Kanilai to help in harvesting the president’s farms.

The staff of the Department of State for Agriculture (DoSA); the Taiwanese Technical Mission (TTM) from Sapu in the Central River Region; Chief Bakary Dembo Badjie of Bulenghart and his people from the Foni Bondali District; over 300 people from the Guinean community in The Gambia, and many others, over weekend, all went to work on the president’s farms to take part in the harvesting.

At the Kampant rice field, the staff of DoSA and the Taiwanese Technical Mission staff were seen harvesting rice and at the same time threshing the harvested rice before bagging it for storage.

Speaking to journalists, Sidi Jarjue, permanent secretary one, DoSA, said President Jammeh’s back-to-the-land call is a demonstration to all Gambians that agriculture is the main hope for people to rely on in order to get out of poverty.

He also commended President Jammeh, who doubles as the secretary of state for agriculture, for his support and intervention in the agricultural sector.
PS Jarjue also used the opportunity to congratulate President Jammeh on the three international awards he received recently.

James Tsay, head of the Taiwanese Technical Mission at Sapu said their mission to The Gambia is to work together with Gambian people to share their experience and technology.

He said there are great potentials in agriculture in The Gambia and expressed hope that there will be a bumper harvest in rice production this year. Amadou Bojang, the custodian of the Kampant rice fields said last year he got 200 bags of rice and hopes to have over 400 bags of rice this year.

From Kampant, we also visited the palm tree garden at Kanilai, where we met over 300 members of the Guinean community in The Gambia and over 100 people from Bulenghart village in Foni Bondali, led by Chief Bakery Dembo Badjie. The group was harvesting the president’s millet farm.

Chief Bakary Dembo Badjie said he was delighted with the work at the Kanilai Farms. He promised to mobilize more people from his district to work on the president’s farm.
Ebrima Jallow, vice president of the Guinean community in the Gambia said Guineans residing in the country are happy with the president’s work.

He described President Jammeh as a visionary leader who should be emulated by all African presidents to make Africa a hunger-free continent. From Kanilai, we also visited the president’s groundnut, rice and sorrel farms in Batanding village, Somita, where we met a group of men and women working on the farm.