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He said that in order to possibly achieve this goal, 180 tractors must be purchased.
Minister Sabally disclosed the development on the platform of the Mansakunda Ministerial Town Hall held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Convention Centre in Bijilo on Friday night.
He informed that 20 rotary tiller boats were procured by MoALFS/Projects and delivered to farmers in March 2024; four tractors RRVCDP were procured and 7,979 hectares of ploughs were procured across the country.
He noted that this includes 340 million tons of certified rice seeds, 210 million tons of certified corn seeds, 28 tons of peanuts, 140,000 liters of herbicides (for 7,000 hectares of land) and 28,000 tons of fertilizer (578,000 bags), with the price of fertilizer reduced from 1,150 yuan per kilogram to 1,100 yuan per kilogram.
Dr. Sabali further mentioned that the department’s focus this year is to increase land area through land preparation and increase production to 4 tonnes per hectare through the use of high-yielding climate-smart seeds, among others.
He said they were also focusing on ensuring private sector participation by expanding matching grants for small and medium enterprises and other incentives to attract youths and women to agriculture by reducing drudgery and increasing mechanization.
He said Vision 2024 also seeks to increase market access by working with partners such as MOTRIE, GCCI and others, and increase access to financing through the launch of GAMIRSAL and collaboration with CBG.
He then stressed the need for institutional capacity building, strengthening research and development and developing the entire value chain of rice, maize, horticulture, poultry and small ruminants.
Speaking about the priorities for 2023, he noted that in line with the national policy and planning document and President Barrow’s declaration of achieving national self-sufficiency in rice production by 2030, his ministry had formulated the priorities for 2023 by organizing the various players in the field to improve coherence, synergy, efficiency and productivity.
This includes developing a strategic focus and formulating a comprehensive plan to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production by 2030, increase production and productivity of various commodities, and expand the role of the private sector in agricultural production and marketing, he said.
He said other previous priority areas included expanding while deepening collaboration with development partners to increase investments in the sector.
He added that these objectives include enhancing the capacity of smallholder farmers so that they can increase their contribution to national agricultural production while improving their income and nutritional status; ensuring that farmers have adequate access to key inputs to improve productivity while ensuring adequate market access for major commodities.
Dr. Sabali further revealed that significant results have been achieved in major commodities across the country compared to 2022.
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