Saiks, thanks for this forward.  It's going on to three years and
continuing, why are the farmers still pleading with the government?  Yaya
pretty much swept all these farming communities in the presidential
elections, thus we can safely assume that the majority voted for him and he
promissed them everything under the sun.  Everyone is his cabinet is being
paid without exception (executive).  The NAMs are paid without exception
(legislature).  The Judges and the military thugs are being paid without
exception (Judiciary).  All these three branches of the government are not
revenue generating and at best are expense accounts that put us in the red,
but they are always paid and on time.  The farmers are our backbone but yet,
they have been paid with an IOU for the past three years.  I say the farmers
need to converge in the city and make sure government business is disrupted
if they are not paid.  Remember how the teachers used to converge on the
Department of Education and force the hand of the government to pay them, it
will not be any different with the farmers.  The only way they are going to
get paid is to take the bull by its horns - take to the streets.  I hope
they get organized and demand justice for their sweat.

Chi Jaama

Joe Sambou


>From: saikss <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: The  Independent
>Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2002 10:08:06 +0100
>
>Joe, You might have seen this one too.I only hope that those who received
>the
>Tractors from the President are benifiting from it.
>
>For Freedom
>Saiks
>
>
>Tragedy for Trade Season Again! Farmers Forced Into Credit Buying
>
>
>
>  Email This Page
>
>Print This Page
>
>
>
>The Independent (Banjul)
>
>February 25, 2002
>Posted to the web February 26, 2002
>
>Banjul
>
>Tragedy has once again hit the groundnut trade season, leaving desperate
>farmers with one alternative to sell their nuts to local buyers from
>neighboring Senegal or through black marketing if they want to escape
>credit
>buying.
>
>Reliable sources at the Department of Agriculture told The Independent that
>many farmers took their crops for sale at the turn of the new year without
>receiving their money. They highlighted that some farmers may hit a dive of
>financial strait, leaving them unable to buy rams for the forthcoming
>tobaski
>feast. Sources stated that since the disagreement and seizure of the assets
>of
>the Gambia Groundnut Cooperation (GGC) by the government, a serious
>question
>was opened regarding the purchase of groundnuts in the 1999/2000 trade
>season,
>with the trend carrying into this year.
>
>They claimed that the 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 groundnut trade seasons were
>said to be years of disaster but the 2001/2 season will be a national
>catastrophe.
>
>However, many farmers who spoke to The Independent showed interest in
>selling
>their nuts hence according to them there are always satisfied with the
>after
>since it will not be in the form of credit buying and will not be destroyed
>by
>pests.
>
>Disappointed farmers who engaged in credit buying expressed pessimism over
>whether they would receive their money before the tobaski feast.
>
>"We are very disappointed because just few months ago we were told that
>this
>year's groundnuts trade season was going to be different but see how things
>are going" an aggrieved farmer in Ndungu Kebbeh said.
>
>Another farmer from Kerr Jarga lamented that they sometimes face disrespect
>from local buyers.
>
>"We have to bear with that because the government we rely on cannot provide
>for our needs and these people are having what we need. So there is no
>other
>option but to be patient" he added. Quizzed about the price of their
>produce,
>Pa Secka said "we do not expect them to buy our produce at a high price and
>attract little profit at the end of the day".
>
>
>
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