Malanding, I totally concur.  What we do is not sustainable and with our 
very high unemployment rate, especially for folks in the rural areas, having 
folks to do the milling will create employment for families in those areas.  
Like most things in the Gambia, this 3 ton rice miller made it possible for 
those that bought it to siphon some of the money allocated for the miller.  
This is one big hole in our coffers that these criminals fleece us dry - 
procurement.  I can bet my last dime that the miller is over budgeted for to 
fill the pockets of those at the top.  And they are not done with us.  Next 
outlet to tap will be the spare parts.  You can be assured that parts will 
be bought and stolen and also monies will be allocated for parts and parts 
are never bought.  This is the madness behind the irrational purchases for 
the criminals in Africa, especially.  Just like the per diem scam that we 
see folks abuse.  How many times do we see folks come abroad to so-called 
"attend a conference" and spent most of the time loitering around.  They 
came empty and return empty.  It is survival of the most criminal.

Chi Jaama

Joe


>From: Malanding Jaiteh <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list              
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Its looks like we can't get enough..
>Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 12:12:34 -0400
>
>It really hurts to see that despite decades at it we have not learnt that 
>the model that depends on big borrowing, big spending, irrigated rice 
>development projects would not   work for the Gambia. The environment both 
>physical and socioeconomic environment is just not right.  With dwindling 
>water resources and Gambia's unflattering record of importing everything 
>from machinery, spare parts, gasoline, fertiliser, seeds and whatever that 
>comes with this type of farming, it should be clear to everyone involved 
>that such a venture cannot be profitable in a world of "globalization and 
>free trade". What is even mind-buggling is the choice of 3-ton rice miller 
>over employing hundreds of able bodies in the community to mill the rice 
>manually. I can contend that the money used in acquiring this mill would 
>have been well spent on employing at least 100 people and their families  
>to manually do milling over the past 3 yrs without the need for spart 
>parts. And knowing what divestitures mean in our part of the world, it can 
>only be more cost to our farmers.
>
>Malanding
>
>
>
>Gambia: Sos Touray Explains Kuwait Rice Project Delay
>
>
>
>The Daily Observer <http://www.qanet.gm/Observer/observer.html> (Banjul)
>
>June 16, 2006
>Posted to the web June 19, 2006
>
>Alhagie Jobe
>
>Mr Yankuba Touray, the Secretary of State for Agriculture, has explained 
>the dalay in a rice irrigation project, commonly known as Baba Galleh's 
>project, which was a Kuwaiti loan ratified in the National Assembly in 
>1999/2000.
>
>Responding to a question posed by Hon Edrissa Samba Sallah of Sami 
>Constituency at the National Assembly, SoS Touray said that the Kuwaiti 
>funded irrigated rice project had difficulties in attracting a suitable 
>contractor at a reasonable and affordable cost. He said after due tender 
>procedure for the land development works, only one contractor submitted a 
>bid.
>
>However, he said the bid price of US$8.05 million offered by the contractor 
>was far more than the budgetary allocation of US$ 1.528 million for the 
>land development component.
>
>He maintained that despite being aware of the fact that all the rice 
>growers involved in this project were given the highest hope that this 
>project shall commence as soon as possible, by demarcating the fields and 
>asking them to remove all trees from their fields, he said, with the 
>beneficiaries' enthusiasm to increase their productivity and subsequently 
>their food security status, his Department of State has submitted a 
>proposal to the Kuwaiti Fund, through the Department of State for Finance 
>for the reallocation of all uncommitted funds to the institutional support 
>component of the project.
>
>According to him, this will enable The Gambia acquire agricultural 
>machinery and equipment, in addition to pumping machines and control gates, 
>which he added, will facilitate the performance of the task in 
>collaboration with our developing partners operating in the rice production 
>industry.
>
>On the 3-ton rice milling machine at Kuntaur that has been lying dormant 
>for almost three years, SoS Touray said that the rice milling machine is 
>obsolete which makes it impossible to get the required spare parts.
>
>This mill, he added, is a subject of diverstiture. He, however, added that 
>in their efforts to empower rice farmers, his Department of State is 
>piloting a rice milling component attached to the Jahally Pacharr Rice 
>Farmers Cooperatives, and when this pilot scheme proves successful, the 
>concept will be extended to Kuntaur area.
>
>
>
>
>
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