Can someone help us here? Is the 600ha area in question the old (1990s)
Jahally Pacharr rice scheme? Does it mean the land is being re-allocated
to the Ministry of Youth and Sports?   What happened to the old
arrangement, i.e.,  Ministry of Agriculture working with local farmers?

Minister said farm will provide job opportunity for 300 youths. In the
same breath says "the youth farms are meant to assess the young people's
level of response to the Gambian leader's back to land clarion call" and
that young people will be camped and paid some stipend to cultivate the
farm.

Where are the funds for the camping and stipend coming from? If the
youth are paid stipend then who owns and controls the produce?

Is the Youth Agriculture and Fishing Initiative (YAFI) an arm of the
APRC Political Bureau or just a coincidence that the administrative
secretary of the APRC Political Bureau happens to be the chairman to the
YAFI?

I sincerely hope this government quickly learn that, re-possessing
farmland from life-long farmers just to established state-run farms is
no way to feed a nation,  if that is their goal.

Malanding Jaiteh



    600 hectares of rice to be cultivated in Jahally Pacharr

Africa <http://observer.gm/africa/news> » Gambia
<http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/news>

Tuesday, July 16, 2013
*The minister of Youth and Sports has revealed plans to cultivate a
600-hectare rice field in Jahally Pacharr, Central River Region. Alieu
Kebba Jammeh was speaking to the Daily Observer in Sapu on day-five of
his nation-wide tour various youth farms in the provincial Gambia. *

Minister Jammeh is accompanied by the 'Youth in Agriculture and Fishing
Initiative',-a youth committee setup by the Ministry of Youth and Sports
with a view to encouraging Gambian youths to venture into both
agriculture and fishing. The youth and sports minister said the farm
will provide job opportunity for about three hundred youths.

The nation-wide tour which led the minister and delegation to various
youth farms was meant to assess young people's level of response to the
Gambian leader's back to the land clarion call.

The tour followed His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya
Jammeh's dialogue with the people's tour in which he made a sweeping
call on the entire nation particularly the youth folks to go back to the
land and eat what they grow. The tour also availed the Youth in
Agriculture and Fishing Initiative committee the opportunity to meet the
young people across the country in order to know their constraints.

Minister Jammeh, while addressing scores of youths in Sapu, disclosed
that the proposed 600 hectare farm would be cultivated by the young
people whom he said would be given the opportunity to camp together
purposely for that. He spoke of government's resolve to allocate   an
undisclosed stipend for the youths who will be working on the farm. "We
want this project to be expanded if this one is successful so that the
nation's drive towards food self-sufficiency could be realized," he
stated. He added that the proceeds of the youth farms would be further
invested in Agriculture to make the sector more lucrative for the youths.

The national youth mobilizer Pierre Minteh, expressed confidence in the
young people of CRR, while commending them for their willingness to
shoulder such a huge responsibility in the interest of nation building.
He challenged the youths of the region to be more proactive in the drive
towards food self-sufficiency and urged them not to betray the trust
bestowed on them by the country's leadership.

For his part, the administrative secretary of the APRC Political Bureau,
who is also the chairman to the Youth in Agriculture and Fishing
initiative, Bakary Jaiteh, reminded the youths of CRR that it is only
through commitment and loyalty that they can achieve their draem.  He
called on the Ministry of Youth and Sports to try and address the
constraints and respond to the requests made by the youths of the
country, particularly those willing to work for the interest of the
nation. He called for concerted efforts among the youths of the country
irrespective of their individual differences for the success of the farms.

A youth leader in CRR Alhaji Muhammed Fatty reaffirmed the dedication of
the young people of his region to the president's call. He challenged
the Ministry of Youth and Sports to work side-by-side with the Ministry
of Agriculture to expedite the implementation of the farm.

The Regional agriculture director of CRR Kasim Touray said the 600
hectare rice field requires huge investment and hard work noting that
the land has not been cultivated for a long time. A youth leader Dawda
Mballow also assured the delegation of the readiness of the youths of
the area to participate in the cultivation of the farm.

A senior agricultural officer in the region, Muhammed Tambajang called
for the timely support of the ministry and youth and sports.

The delegation also visited various youth farms in Upper, Central and
Lower River Regions.

Author: *Bekai Njie*


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