At least eight tractors arrived on Friday from Libya that would be donated to The Gambia for the use of agriculture.

Speaking to journalists upon the arrival of the tractors at the BanjulInternationalAirport, Dr. Ali Muhammad Dukaly, Libya’s Ambassador to The Gambia said apart from the provision of machinery and equipment Libya would help The Gambia in other required production inputs.

He revealed that as a start, in collaboration with Department of State for Agriculture, twenty Vietnamese experts will be coming to The Gambia and Libya would provide their salaries for two years.

Mr. Habib T.B. Jarra, Director of International Economic Co-operation at the Department of State for Foreign Affairs who at the airport to witness the arrival of the tractors said provision of these tractors manifests the cordial and fruitful relation that exists between the two countries, and another indication of the willingness of the two leaders to pursuit the path of South-South co-operation in development.

He characterised the provision of these tractors as a “very noble gesture.”  He added that it would also be a major boost towards the objective of food security in The Gambia.

Agriculture is understandably a crucial issue for The Gambian government since it accounts for more than half of the country’s Gross Domestic Product and provides a livelihood for 75% of the labour force.

The provision of these tractors and the coming of the Vietnamese experts will no doubt boost production and expand capacity for processing and preservation.

This would increase access to improved agricultural technology, promote the production and help marketing of agricultural commodities.