The Japanese government yesterday donated 3200 tons of rice, equivalent to about D38M, to The Gambia Government, at a ceremony held at State House, Banjul.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Vice President and Secretary of State for Women Affairs, Dr Ajaratou Isatou Njie-Saidy, said the government and the farming community are indeed grateful for the timely donation, as part of the cooperation between the two states.

Veep Njie-Saidy said the level of co-operation that exists between the two countries is moving from step to step. “We are really privileged to have this co-operation with Japan. I would like to thank the Japanese government for their timely donation and we hope some day, we would also be donating to other countries as we are also developing day by day. We have a visionary leader who is development-oriented”, she said.

She disclosed that in January 2006, the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the two countries signed a cooperation agreeement worth D79M, and described the donation as complementry to the goverment’s efforts towards helping the farming community.

For his part, Hisanobu Hasama, the Japanese Charge d’ Affairs said, “I am very happy to hand to you, these 3,200 tons of rice, offered by the Japanese government to The Gambia Government within the framework of the food aid whose agreement was signed on January 20 2006, amounting to 150M Japanese Yen which is nearly equivalent to D38M”.

He said the rice is meant to sustain The Gambia government’s efforts to ensure food security and satisfy the basic needs of the Gambian people. The Japanese government, he went on, is aware of the importance of food self-sufficiency for the socio-economic development of any country and intends to help The Gambia to achieve its goals in the harmonious development of the country.

“May I also recall one aspect of this food aid, which is the generation of a counterpart fund in local currency, a means to provide funding for social- economic development projects to be carried out in The Gambia. On March 6, our two governments signed two agreements for food aid and assistance for underprivileged farmers for a total amount of 360 million Yen, nearly D79 million. This is a testimony of our determination to contribute to The Gambians’ effort for sustainability of economic developmen”, the Japanese diplomat concluded.

For his part, Kanja Sanneh, Secretary of State for Agriculture described the donation as timely. He added, “We at the Department of State for Agricultural will make sure that the rice reaches the targeted beneficiaries”.

Bai Ousman Secka, the Permanent Secretary at the Department of State for Foreign Affairs, thanked the Japanese government for the donation. He said the support offered by the Japanese government will boost the morale of the Gambian farmers, noting that The Gambia is a true friend of Japan.