At least 100 tons of rice seeds have been donated to the Department of State for Agriculture (DoSA) by the Taiwanese mission in The Gambia.

Bakary Trawally, a permanent secretary at DoSA, took delivery of the rice seeds at a ceremony held at the state department in Banjul.

The gesture came, amid appeal by Gambian farmers, as the country streams into the farming season, with renewed enthusiasm and vigour.

Presenting the seeds on behalf of the mission, Richards Shih, the Taiwanese plenipotentiary to The Gambia, said the assistance is part of a shared conviction and goal of attaining food self-sufficiency for the country by 2015. This target is in line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of ending extreme hunger, by half by 2015.

The ambassador, who was beaming with delight to present the seeds, observed the need for resources and energies to be pulled together to maximise food production in the country, noting that this would guarantee the country of its food basket once done.

Ambassador Shih assured the state department of the commitment of his embassy and that of the Taiwanese Technical Mission stationed in Sapu, Central River Region, to the national efforts of attaining food self-sufficiency.

For his part, Bakary Trawally, a permanent secretary at the Department of State for Agriculture, reminded people about the president’s call for ‘back to the land’ and assured the Taiwanese ambassador that the rice would be put into good use.

He also thanked the ambassador and his team for the generous assistance.