Call for the reactivation of the defunct Gambia Cooperation Union (GCU), a body that was responsible for the selling of farmers’ groundnut, was a matter of deep concern amongst some parliamentarians, during the adjournment debate, last week.

 According to them, moves to reactivate the union would go a long way in curbing the problems of farmers not getting their groundnut sold.

The Honourable Members indicated that the move would avail farmers the opportunity to sell their  groundnut in their own country, without bordering to sell their nuts in neighbouring countries.

 Supporting this concern, Honorable Yerrow Mballow, National Assembly Member for Lower Fulladu West, suggested that the Assembly recommended to the departments of state for trade to consider the possibility of reviving The Gambia Cooperative Union. 

He stressed that in order to enhance efficient service delivery to the farmers, and to improve on their livelihood, the NAMs, as the people’s representatives, should therefore recommend this proposal.

While acknowledging that so many interventions had been taken since 1994 to improve the sector, NAM Mballow used the opportunity to hail President Jammeh in resolving the problems of farmers whose nuts were purchased by private dealers.

For Honourable Pa Jallow, National Assembly Member for Jarra Central, who was also apparently moved by the concern, farmers had been experiencing lack of effective and viable market over the years.

He recommended that government needed to review policies and consider reviving the then cooperative union in a bid to put an end to farmers’ continuous plight. According to Honourable Jallow, the then union was at least doing better since they bought farmers nuts and provided them with loans for agricultural purposes.

For Honourable Kebba Gaye, NAM for Jokadu, the relevant department of state responsible for groundnut marketing and other major stakeholders should come to the aid of farmers in a bid to avoid the option of selling nuts to the neighbouring countries. 

He noted that currently farmers were expecting that before Tobaski, trade season would have started; he called on the authorities to come to farmers’ aid.

The Upper Nuimi parliamentarian, Honourable Mam Cherno Jallow, pointed out that even in a situation where every farmer hit a record of 100 tons of groundnuts,  in the absent of marketing strategy in place, the objective of such impressive outcome might not pay much dividend. 

According to NAM Cherno Jallow, such a trend might further contribute to the intensification of poverty.  He then noted that it was high time to strategize policies on poverty alleviation that would go a long way to benefit of the country.