Rice farmers in Jahally Pacharr have appealed to the government to urgently address a shortage of urea fertiliser, warning that the situation could significantly reduce rice production this season. Urea fertiliser is a nitrogen-rich fertiliser containing about 46% nitrogen, widely used to promote plant growth and improve crop yields.
The farmers, who first reported the shortage to Foroyaa in May, said many of their rice fields have reached the stage where urea is needed, but supplies remain unavailable in the Central River Region and parts of the Greater Banjul Area.
Bambo Ceesay, a rice farmer from Kerewan Samba Sire, said the shortage is affecting farmers across Lower Fulladou.
"We have an issue that we want to be raised to the government to know what is happening in our rice fields in Lower Fulladou. We have transplanted our rice, but there is no urea fertiliser," he said.
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He urged the government to intervene before farmers suffer further losses.
"We want the government to take a step and help us because our plants have reached a stage where they need fertiliser, but there is no urea. Some of us couldn't work during the dry season because we couldn't get urea," he said.
According to Ceesay, some farmers have resorted to buying fertiliser from neighbouring Senegal at much higher prices.
"Some of us go and smuggle from Senegal. They're selling a bag for D2,500 to D3,000, and when caught by Senegalese authorities, you will lose your motorbike. Some of us struggle to buy at this cost. If you have a farm that needs four bags, two urea and two compound, some could only apply one or half a bag or even none," he said.
He said some farmers have already abandoned their rice fields because of inadequate water supply and warned that the fertiliser shortage could worsen the situation.
"Otherwise, poverty will strike us in Lower Fulladou," he said.
"Let the government please try and help us because we are really in need of their support now."
Ceesay said he travelled to the Department of Horticulture in Kombo in search of urea but was redirected elsewhere without success.
"Although trucks of fertiliser were delivered, they were only compound fertilisers, and some farmers are withholding their crops out of fear," he said.
Another farmer, Sarjo Ceesay of Brikamanding, said the shortage had disrupted farming activities and alleged that part of the available supply had been smuggled into Senegal's Casamance region.
"We are seriously affected by this shortage," he said.
"Even though it was distributed all the way to Kerewan France, some of us in the communities struggle to access it because a good quantity was smuggled into the Casamance region."
He added, "It was here, but the people entrusted with it always sell it outside the borders. If they supply 100 bags, the community will likely access only 40 per cent of it while the other 60 per cent goes to Casamance."
Ebrima Baldeh, also from Kerewan Samba Sire, said he bought all his urea from Senegal because he could not find any in The Gambia.
"There is no urea. As I speak to you, I have got all my fertiliser from Senegal. I bought a bag at D2,500 including transport from an agent in Senegal," he said.
"We are witnessing such a shortage this year. We all get ours from Senegal; however, some of us couldn't get it early because of the high demand."
Responding to the concerns in an interview with Foroyaa on 29 June, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security, Dr Demba Sabally, said the ministry was aware of the shortage.
"Yes, we are aware," he said.
The minister said the government signed a contract with its fertiliser supplier in November 2025 for the delivery of 3,000 metric tonnes of urea, as well as supplies of NPK 15-15-15 and NPK 6-20-10 fertilisers.
According to him, the supplier has delivered the NPK fertilisers and organic phosphate fertiliser but has not yet supplied the urea.
"The urea has not been delivered because urea always comes from the Gulf area, and it is one type of fertiliser that is highly affected by the current geopolitical crisis in the Iran-US-Israeli conflict," he said.
Dr Sabally said the supplier had secured an alternative source but the cost of urea had increased significantly since the contract was signed.
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"We are doing everything possible because of that shortage of urea. Our fertiliser supplier could not deliver. However, he has secured a second source. The challenge with his second source has been the cost of fertiliser, specifically urea, has gone up way more than what he signed in November because of the war," he said.
The minister said the government had authorised the National Food Security Corporation, formerly the Gambia Groundnut Corporation, to renegotiate the contract.
"We have officially cleared GGC, their contract committee, to go into a renegotiation with this supplier to be able to adjust the price, accommodate the current realities, and be able to enable him to supply us the urea that this country needs," he said.
According to Dr Sabally, the negotiations are close to completion.
"That negotiation is almost finalised and the price will be adjusted. He should be able to secure the urea in the very shortest possible time," he said.
