Excerpts from The Independent: "Since credit buying of groundnuts is the order of the day in many buying stations, farmers have intensified the cross border trade in groundnut despite the Senegalese government's call for it to be halted. In an interview with The Independent, a farmer from Njawara in Lower Baddibu said that many farmers took their crops for sale at the turn of the new year without receiving their money. Another farmer from Kerr Pateh Koneh in Central Baddibu was almost in tears as he explained that they have hit a dire financial strait, leaving them unable to buy a ram for their tobaski feast. He asserted that although they are not citizens of Senegal, they have always been treated fairly by the Senegalese who pay them money whenever their nuts are weighed. Ousainou Drammeh said that they preferred the price being offered by the Senegalese government, which according to them is better than the groundnut price being offered by The Gambia Government. He claimed that farmers prefer selling their nuts to local Senegalese buyers at a price of 1, 400 CFA per bag, which is less than that offered by the government. 'Although the price is less, farmers prefer it because they automatically receive their money,' he added. Other farmers noted that despite the Senegalese government's call for a halt to the cross border groundnut trade, they are always ready to take their crops to Senegal even if it will be based on credit buying. Some angry farmers expressed pessimism over whether they would receive their monies in time. However, when this reporter visited some border villages of North Bank Division last Thursday horse drawn carts could be seen heavily laden with bags of groundnuts heading towards Senegal. Despite reports that money was sent to pay farmers, many secco managers told The Independent that hundreds of thousands of Dallas's were being owed to farmers by their respective buying stations. At Salikene a farmer complained that about D300, 000 was owed to him two months but said he has little hope of getting it back despite several claims he made. At Daru Rilewan one farmer said 'we are very disappointed that the government during President Jammeh's meet the people said unlike last year farmer's groundnut trade season everything will be different". Fafanding Minteh a 70-year-old farmer in Minteh Kunda said his children were sent out of school for not paying their school fees. "The only source for me is groundnut which was credited without money. At Nuimi farmers frustrated by the situation travelled many kilometers to sell their nuts in Senegal at very bad prices. A Senegalese businessman who refused to disclose his name said "we buy groundnut in The Gambia because we mean business and we will not buy nuts in the Gambia at a high price and get little profit"." Comrades, I wonder what Tombong thinks about this news. Naphiyo, Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------