Kanja Sanneh, Secretary of State for Agriculture has disclosed that in recent times, The Gambia, like  other African countries, has battled with challenges poised by food insecurity which threaten many of our communities.

SoS Sanneh made these remarks, at a one day validation workshop on National Seed Policy organised by NARI, in collaboration with the FAO at the Paradise Suite Hotel in Kololi, aimed at validating and updating a draft national seed policy which has been prepared over the past several months as part of ongoing implementation by DoSA in collaboration with FAO.

According to him, the major part of the situation can be traced to serious shortcomings which exist in crop production capabilities.

“In order to address these shortcomings, much intervention is required, but one of the most crucial interventions will no longer be the provision of high quality seeds of the key crop, suited to the varying agro-ecologies of our nation,” he said.

According to him, this demands concerted efforts to enhance the development of the seed sector in all its components, noting that seed is a crucial and critical element in the involvement of agricultural communities and without which, there can be no agriculture.

He added that the engagement and support of the full spectrum of stakeholders and international agencies and NGOs will also be necessary.

“In view of the partnership approach, which has been adopted in the exercise, I am sure that a wide range of ownership will be displayed thus engendering the broadest cooperation during the implementation,” he noted.

Lamin Jobe, acting Director of the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI), said today, more than 204 million people in Africa are still suffering from hunger and malnutrition. This, he said, is due to lack of necessary food resources to lead a healthy and productive life.

He added that in the last two or three decades, agriculture production in Africa has witnessed a downward trend hence requiring urgent action and combine efforts of all.

For his part, David Bowen, FAO Country Representative in The Gambia said the systematic production and distribution of improved variation of seeds is a challenge to most developing countries. He added that it is also a constraint to agriculture production and a number of issues relating to these constraints like accessibility to seed, poor marketing arrangement and lack of equipment are major challenges.

He then challenged the private sector to be committed in ensuring food security saying, “it is the role of the private sector which determines the overall success of any food system in most countries”.

The FAO boss then asserted that the FAO is ready to work with The Gambia government in putting together long term programs.