By: Aminata AP Ceesay
Nineteen individuals and farmers’ groups on Tuesday received approximately a GMD256m boost from the Gambia Inclusive and Resilient Agricultural Value Chain project (GIRAV) through the Central Project Coordinating Unit of the agriculture ministry.
The money, an equivalent of $4.0m, formed a part of GIRAV’s matching grant scheme to help beneficiaries improve and manage their businesses.
According to the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Modou Secka, the project has multiple interventions that seek to boost production and productivity in the agriculture sector by addressing supply-side constraints with regard to infrastructure whilst also responding to financing needs and gaps for operators in the rice, maize, horticulture, cashew and poultry value chains.
He congratulated the small and medium enterprises that initially benefitted from the matching grant under the window- two category of the scheme.
In his speech at the ceremony organized to hand over the money to the beneficiaries, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Demba Sabally, described the disbursements as a milestone in GIRAV’s history.
GIRAV is a Gambia government/World Bank-funded agricultural project.
He expressed delight in the development, describing it as unprecedented and a clear demonstration of the Gambia government’s dedication and commitment to boosting agricultural productivity as enshrined in the NDP and other policy and strategic documents such as GNAIP – FNS 2019- 2026, and GATP 2020-2030, both of which place commercial,
private sector-led and supported agriculture at the core of the country’s economic and social development.
He stressed that the GIRAV project seeks to promote inclusive, resilient, and competitive agricultural value chains, focusing on smallholder farmers and agribusinesses in the rice, maize, horticulture, cashew, and poultry production in all the agricultural regions.
He pointed out that the project is multifaceted and logical in its approach to prevent a fragmented response and to ensure optimal use of the $47,911 provided by the Barrow government and the World Bank.
The agric minister added: “The focus of this gathering here today is under component 3 of the GIRAV project; the matching grant package which is designed to provide funding to identified agricultural value chain operators under Window 2 whereas, on the other hand, window one has two types of beneficiaries: individuals and groups with grant amounts of two USD$ 10,000 and USD$20,000, respectively with GIRAV project covering 80% and the beneficiary contributing 20% of the needed funds. Window two targets up to 10 beneficiaries with funding of up to USD$500, 0000 where the project will cover 60% and the beneficiaries will contribute 40% of the total project cost/ amount.”
It is hoped that the matching grant scheme in which the bulk of the finances is covered by the project as a grant, will not only boost private sector production but will enable actors to
incorporate agricultural machinery in the entire agriculture value chain, hence boosting productivity and enabling horizontal or vertical diversification.
Dr. Sabally expressed his ministry’s gratitude and appreciation to the World Bank for their “tireless support” to the sector.
He also thanked GIRAV project staff for their commitment to the attainment of the project’s goals and development objectives.
“I wish to congratulate the beneficiaries of the grant and encourage them to use the funds strictly for the specific objectives of the project,” the agric. minister advised.
