Gambiaj.com – (Banjul, the Gambia)-  The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security Dr. Demba Sabally has today addressed the National Assembly with updates on the government’s efforts to support farmers. This includes the procurement of fertilizers and the purchase of tractors to improve agricultural productivity.

“For the past trading season, all groundnuts supplied by farmers during the designated season were purchased by the corporation, he said. For 2025, the corporation purchased 25,097 metric tons at the farm gate price of $38,000 per metric ton, totaling GMD 953,686,000.” The Ministry added that revenue generated from exports amounted to GMD 648,225,250, equivalent to $9,241,931 in foreign exchange, with a government subsidy of GMD 627,425,000 to support farmers.

On GGC’s purchasing capacity, the Minister confirmed, “GGC has the capacity to buy if the farmers present during the designated season up to 50,000 metric tons. Once the government-allocated funds are exhausted, the corporation will use commercial banks for financing, supported by either the Central Bank or the Ministry of Finance.”

On fertilizer procurement, the Minister said, “The Ministry procured 20,000 metric tons of NPK of various forms and 5,000 metric tons of urea. The total cost of the 25,000 metric tons is GMD 1,430,938,000. Out of this, the budgeted amount was GMD 507,135,750, leaving a gap of GMD 373,802,250, which was funded through commercial banks with the support of the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance.” He added, “In 2025, the Ministry did not procure organic fertilizer because previous stocks have not been fully absorbed by farmers.”

On free seed distribution, the Minister explained, “All seed distributions are conducted by our regional agricultural directorates across the country. All recipients are digitally registered, and all farmers and farm organizations on demand for rice and maize seeds were supplied on time and at no cost to the farmers.”

Regarding tractor procurement, the Ministry said, “The tender for the 180 tractors was published on the Standard Newspaper on July 1, 2024. Two bidders, Yona Enterprise and Gatch, were awarded 50 percent each. Each tractor cost US$32,450. The Ministry has submitted all relevant documents to the National Assembly.”

The Ministry emphasized that these efforts are aimed at supporting farmers, ensuring transparency, and boosting production and export capacity.