The food self-sufficiency drive, championed by the president of the Republic, Professor Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, seemed to have attracted greater attention than expected, with both public and private institutions unable to resist the call. Even GRTS, the national broadcaster, is not being left behind.

The management and staff of GRTS, with the help of the people of the village of Bonto, were inspired to cultivate a 15 - hectare millet farm at Bonto village in Kombo East, Western Region. The Daily Observer crew on its way from Kanilai visited the farm in Bonto where heaps of bundles of millet harvested from the farm had been at the Alkalo’s residence.

Alhagie Momodou Sanyang, the Director General of the country’s giant broadcasting Institution, said they were inspired by the Gambian leader to cultivate a farm.  According to him, this in line with the President’s objective of food self-sufficiency. He told the Daily Observer that his institution deemed it necessary to cultivate a farm based on the fact that the route to food self-sufficiency is very inclusive.

“As an institution that has and still continue to broadcast the president’s farming activities, we thought it very fitting to emulate him. We don’t only want to stop at featuring his farming activities, but we also want to cultivate our own farm,” Director General Sanyang who played an important role in the president’s farming activities said. He added.

“As somebody who have been working with the president on his farms for years now, I think I have learned enough from him to do my own,” he said. Director General Sanyang expressed gratitude to President Jammeh for injecting the spirit of farming into the entire Gambians.  He expressed optimism that if the current trend of farming activities continues, Gambia stands to attain food self-sufficiency within a very short period.

Momodou Lamin Kebbeh, the Alkalo of Bonto village, who is currently overseeing the harvested crops, said the farm registered a great success, with over 70 bundles of millet already collected. The Bonto Alkalo also called on both the public and private institution to emulate the giant broadcasting institution, maintaining that farming is a noble venture.