“My Department of State is not responsible for the pegging of the producer price for groundnut,” Kanja Sanneh, Secretary of State for Agriculture informed Members of the National Assembly in response to question from the Member for Sami, Lamin Ceesay.

SoS Sanneh also made it clear that DoSA no more responsible for groundnut marketing vis-a-vis selection of buying points.

Asked by the Member for Nianija, Dawda Manneh, on the fate of extension workers and ATI’s who are not taken on board on the newly established National Agricultural Development Agency NADA, SoS Sanneh replied: So far they have neither being informed nor is he  aware of any staff member who  is not on board the NADA wagon.

Further asked by  Essa Saidykhan, Member for Niamina Dankunku, why the extension of liable Manke Bridge Construction is pending, SoS Sanneh said that the constructions involves  stages such as, site selection, detailed site survey/design, preparation of bill of quantity, collection and transportation of boulders, masonry works and wielding works.

“Liable Manke Bridge was selected for PIWAMP intervention in 2007. The project has since then carried out detailed survey of the site during the course of the year. The project has also provided a tractor to the community for boulder stone collection transportation to the site for the masonry works to commence and the work on the bridge will resume as soon as weather condition permit,” he said.

Lamin Jadama, NAM for Niamina West asked SoS Sanneh on the operational and financial status of GAMCOT for the past two years (ie 2005-to date) in view of the credit buying of cotton during the 2006 trade season. SoS Sanneh said the operational modality of GAMCOT is the responsibility of The Gambia Divestiture Agency under the aegis of DOSFEA and not his department of state.

On what modalities his Department of State is doing to curb rural-urban drift as which hampers the active involvement of Gambia Youth in agricultural productivity since his Excellency’s noble idea of power to the people and back to the land is high on the agenda?

SoS Sanneh replied “ My Department  of State’s  policy  give priority to curbing the rural-urban drift by enticing rural communities to be actively engaged in agricultural activities i.e. crop production and animal rearing. Our agricultural policy objectives echo and reinforce his Excellency clarion call .The establishment of NADA mandated to take a strategic approach of unified dispensation of services to farmers has amplified this call. Furthermore, the Agency is tasked among other to transform agriculture from subsistence to commercial oriented.”

He then told members that this task is achievable  through direct intervention and support by existing programmes and activities and the creation of an Agricultural Development Fund(ADF).He added that DoSA is promoting and intensifying support to rural youths to be actively engaged in income generating activities such as food processing (valuable addition), production of high valued crops ,sheep fattening and intensive poultry production.

“All the above listed areas of intervention and support are geared towards encouraging the productive sectors of the population  such as  the youth to go back to the land thereby minimising the mad rush to non existent job in urban centres” he concluded.