Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The National Assembly of The Gambia on Monday witnessed a tense and sharply divided debate as lawmakers clashed over proposed jail terms and heavy fines targeting unlicensed traders of groundnuts and cashews under the National Food Security Corporation Bill 2025.
Agriculture Minister Dr. Demba Sabally defended the proposed penalties, telling members that anyone importing or exporting groundnuts or cashews without a license would face fines ranging from D50,000 to D5 million, imprisonment for between two months and five years, or both.
He added that anyone transferring a licence to another person could be fined at least D1 million or jailed for two to five years.
Dr. Sabally argued that while the offenses were already captured in the original draft law, the absence of clearly defined penalties created a legal gap. He explained that leaving sanctions to regulations would be ineffective, as regulations cannot impose more than one month in prison or fines exceeding D1,000.
However, several lawmakers expressed concern that the proposed punishments could disproportionately affect small-scale farmers, particularly those living along the border who often sell modest quantities across into Senegal.
Hon. Kebba Lang Fofana supported the tough measures, arguing that the government must safeguard its substantial agricultural investment.
He noted that the state spends approximately D500 million annually on fertilizer and seed subsidies and must therefore protect public funds from exploitation.
But Hon. Suwaibou Touray questioned whether a farmer transporting a few bags across the border would be treated as an exporter and subjected to arrest. He also raised concerns about whether Senegalese farmers bringing groundnuts into The Gambia to take advantage of higher prices would face similar penalties.
Hon. Lamin Ceesay described the bill as overly broad and warned that it should target large-scale commercial traders rather than smallholder farmers. He further cautioned that stringent restrictions could conflict with ECOWAS protocols on the free movement of goods within the sub-region.
In response, Dr. Sabally revealed that the government has already spent D1.7 billion this season purchasing groundnuts at D38,000 per ton, significantly above the global market price of about D22,000 per ton. He said the attractive domestic price has drawn in groundnuts from Senegal, placing strain on the national budget.
The minister also pointed to a D35 million processing factory at GGC, which requires 50,000 metric tons of groundnuts annually to operate at optimal capacity.
So far, only about 45,000 metric tons have been procured, despite national production being estimated at 80,000 metric tons. He warned that uncontrolled exports could undermine the factory’s viability and threaten long-term food security objectives.
Seeking compromise, Dr. Sabally proposed introducing a quantitative threshold so that only exporters dealing in large volumes, such as one ton or five tons, would face the stiffest penalties. Nevertheless, divisions persisted among lawmakers.
By the close of debate, the Assembly remained split between the imperative to protect public investment and food security on one hand and the risk of criminalizing the very farmers the policy intends to support on the other. The bill was subsequently reviewed with amendments.
