FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
Publisher
6 November 2009
editorial
In 2008 alone the Gambia imported 75 Million Dalasis worth of fruits and Vegetables.
The Country has a tropical climate which allows for the production of fruits and vegetables which could be consumed at home and exported abroad. Banana, Oranges, carrots, cabbages and potatoes are imported when they could be produced locally.
Apart from the 75 Million Dalasis spent on the importation of fruits and vegetables, the sum spent on the importation of onions alone amount to 27 Million Dalasis. Hence self sufficiency in the production of Onions alone would earn those in the horticultural sector 27 Million Dalasis.
Gambia needs to address its supply side of the base of its economy. It is still extremely weak and cannot transform the country into an export oriented economy. What is absent is a Production, Purchasing, Storage, Marketing and Consumption chain which could enable producers to earn fair income from their produce and re-invest to expand production.
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Gardens can be the main source of food in many places. They can be very productive and water efficient.
But gardening is as appropriate for men as for women. There is a disturbing tendency to treat food production efforts as "woman's work". It should not be encouraged. Productive labor available to unemployed men is the recipe for reducing criminal behavior. Men need to work, and are supposed to be "tillers of the soil."