By Haddy Touray
The Gambia For All (GFA) party has rejected Agriculture Minister Demba Sabally’s response to its recent criticism of the government’s performance in the agricultural sector, maintaining that challenges facing farmers remain unresolved.
In a statement issued over the weekend, the opposition party said the minister had failed to adequately address concerns it raised in an earlier press release on the state of agriculture.
The GFA said government-subsidized fertilizer has continued to reach farmers late, citing a 2024 performance audit by the National Audit Office (NAO), which it said documented delays in fertilizer distribution between 2020 and 2023.
The party further claimed that, as of the end of June this year, fertilizer had not reached farmers in many parts of the country.
On agricultural financing, the GFA argued that smallholder farmers and agribusinesses continue to face limited access to credit.
It rejected the minister’s reference to the Social Development Fund (SDF) as evidence of government support, alleging that the institution has not been effectively providing agricultural financing and had previously been affected by financial mismanagement.
The party also questioned the impact of the Gambia Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (GAMIRSAL), saying the minister did not provide figures on the number of farmers who had benefited from the program.
The GFA further alleged that horticultural gardens across the country continue to face inadequate irrigation infrastructure, insufficient water supply and a lack of cold storage facilities for perishable produce.
According to the statement, most support received by horticultural farmers comes from local communities, private donors and development partners rather than the government.
The party also criticized what it described as delays in payments to groundnut farmers and the lack of progress in expanding irrigation infrastructure.
It further alleged that development funds intended for irrigation projects had been diverted, although it did not provide evidence in the statement to support the claim.
The GFA said it stood by its assessment of the agricultural sector and urged the government to address the challenges facing farmers instead of dismissing criticism.
The Minister of Agriculture had earlier defended the government’s record in the sector during a television interview, following the GFA’s initial criticism.