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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