The coordinator of Agribusiness at the Department of State for Agriculture, Cherno A Mballo, has expressed The Gambia Government's resolve to strengthen the agricultural organisations in the country.

The Department of State for Agriculture, he added, recently concluded the development of the Agricultural Policy of The Gambia that will go a long way in addressing problems faced by farmers in the agricultural sector.

Mballo made these statements yesterday, at the official opening marking a two-day capacity building training for agricultural producers, organised by the National Farmer's Platform of The Gambia (NFPG). The training is taking place at the conference hall of The Gambia Christian Council, along MDI Road, Kanifing, with the theme "Empowering through capacity development."

According to Mballo, one of the core principles of the policy is to commercialise the agricultural sector, which, he said, is crucial. He commended the National Farmer's Platform, saying: "You are one of the organisations that bring together farmers to help them enhance their capacities in the sector."

Mballo further maintained that for The Gambia to attain its target of food self-sufficiency, all the stakeholders must close ranks and take up their responsibilities. He observed that if Gambians adhere to Professor Alhaji Dr Yaya Jammeh's back-to-the-land call, they will surely drive away hunger and starvation in the country. Mballo then urged association members to be committed in the daily running of their activities. Musa Jawneh, president of the National Farmer's Platform of The Gambia, said the training will help farmers to effectively and adequately carry out their farming activities. He told participants that his association's main objective is to empower Gambian farmers on their farming activities, saying "government alone cannot do everything for the people". Jawneh then used the platform to thank Action Aid The Gambia, their main partner, for funding the training.

Representing the Action Aid The Gambia (AATG) country director, Buba Khan maintained that the National Farmer's Platform is one of the most important institutions for farmers in The Gambia. Since its inception in 2007, he went on, the association has undergone numerous difficulities which included the average institutional capacity of its members. He added that the collaboration between AATG and NFPG has registered numerous achievements. According to Khan, if Gambians utilise the available land, they can feed over one million of the country's population.

In a power point presentation on the topic: 'Enhancing farmers' security through savings and credit schemes.' Patrick Mendy of the National Association of Cooperative Credit Union of The Gambia (NACCUG) said a credit union is a financial cooperative that is owned and controlled by its members, for its members. He added that it exists to serve the financial needs of communities on a not-for-profit basis and to retain members saving in their communities for the benefit of all. Mendy urged participants to embrace and establish credit unions in their communities.