Concord Times (Freetown)
Mariama Kandeh
9 September 2008
Freetown — Farmers in Kamalo and Makali villages, Sanda loko chiefdom in Bombali district have lauded the Partners in Relief and Development (PaRD) organization for its plan to introduce the agricultural value chain system and improve their farming capacity.
Speaking to farmers in Kamalo on Tuesday, PaRD's director, Thomas B. Turay said the value chain system is a string of collaborating players working together in order to satisfy market demands for a specific product.
"The value chain can allow beans to be sold as smaller batches to different companies according to their needs. Another company can process that same beans into oil. Another company will refine the oil and bottle it for sale," he said.
Turay added that the bottled oil can be repacked into smaller cases and distributed to grocery stores wherein stores will then put them into crates and sell at individual consumer's convenience.
He said the chain will increase the total amount of crops by increasing the demand for these products. "The concept of value added is a sound business practice," he said adding that the chain might bring income at every stage.
Turay said his organization aims to restore human dignity, promote livelihood and economic security for the people of Sierra Leone. He said PaRD also aims to create household viability and a safe and clean environment.
"PaRD cooperates and collaborates with government line ministries and other development counterparts within and outside Sierra Leone in programmes consistent with national policies as well as PaRD's own objectives, principles and practices," he said.
Ibrahim Vasco Kamara, farmer and coordinator of Kamalo-Makali farmers said the Kamalo group has been in existence for over three years without having support from any outside forces until PaRD came to its aid.
"We were facing serious constraints with marketing and equipment to hasten the farming process. But we want to say a big thanks to PaRD for making it possible for us to get some farming equipments including cutlasses," he said.
He called for a storage facility and a proper marketing system that will enhance the value of their agricultural products and welcomed PaRD's plan to introduce the value chain system noting that the system will not only bring in more money to their trade, but will also ensure rapid development in their chiefdom.
"We farm but our people are still suffering. We want to thank PaRD while we call for more support from them," he said.
Kamara said PaRD has demonstrated love and care for the people of Sanda Loko as he pledged that his group will continue to work with the organisation.
Chairman of the Ataya base farmers organization, a group of 43 men and women, said late marketing of their product is affecting value of their crops. Chernoh Kamara added that apart from PaRD, no other organization has ever given them aid.
With the support from PaRD, we have been able to farm in large scale and used the money to construct a Traditional Birth Attendants clinic, says Mariama Bah, another farmer from the Makali group of Gbanka section.
"We the women of Makali want to thank PaRD and its director Mr. TBT for their efforts to change our status. However, I want to call on them to do more," she said and called on PaRD for the urgent implementation of the agricultural chain value system. "I believe from what I have been told that this project will help greatly in developing our community." Extension Coordinator, Alpha Y. Mansaray said one of the major problems farmers are facing is the lack of capital to start large scale farming. He said most of the farmers cannot farm on their own adding that workers on the farms are not paid but take self-payment after harvesting.
Mansaray suggested that farming can only be profitable if farmers can get sufficient incentives. "But as it is now, they will have to bear the pain until PaRd gets more funds to improve on their capacity to farm in large scale," he said.
He disclosed the visit of Cordaid (PaRD's donor organization in Holland) consultant Elizabeth Visser to the chiefdom adding that the purpose of her visit included getting marketing information on how farmers can access the market and capital.
"She is also here to find out the role of middlemen in farming; the price of local produce after harvest and when they reach the market; whether farmers get pre-finance before production; if yes, whether they are forced to sell the produce to individuals who pre-finance; if middlemen force them to sell at a specific price, how retailers are going on with the business and how they are accessing funds. These are the questions she has been asking," he said.
Mansaray mentioned that Visser had also made visits to the ministry of agriculture, trade and the representative of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in Freetown to discuss key issues on how they can call in important players in order to establish the chain.
He said the Pepper Project was funded by Cordaid noting that Sanda Loko is renowned for pepper production and that was the reason PaRD sourced funding from Cordaid to implement the pepper project.
"PaRD has supplied 400 pepper growers in communities in Sanda Loko chiefdom mainly women with big and smaller hoes, cutlasses and wheelbarrows. Seeds were not supplied because they can provide that themselves," he said.
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