Uphold Farmers' Dignity The Point (Banjul) January 8, 2001 Banjul The news that credit buying is in progress at groundnut depots again is, to say the least, very disturbing following last year's hardships encountered by farmers, when they faced a similar situation. We are troubled and alarmed that the less-privileged and less materially-endowed citizens of this country might once again feel the brunt of credit buying. These are the people who do not have constant electricity and water supply, no good roads, no metropolitan amenities etc., etc. But they are our brothers and sisters, equal to us in all that belongs to this country. Yet they are the least privileged. And they have to take care of their families, pay rates and taxes, school fees and so on like the rest of us. The mistaken view that whosoever wants to criticise the situation, should step in and buy the farmers' nuts is, to say the least, unacceptable, especially when it comes from those who have been delegated to look after the well-being of the Gambian people. Government should understand the importance of the groundnut season to the farming community. The new cars, the donations, the overseas trips within and outside the country, and so forth, should all be put on hold - until the totality of farmers' production this year is bought. Remember that Senegal has this year produced One Million tonnes of groundnuts. So ours must be marketed as a matter of urgency. Instead of denying the reports, efforts should be mounted to provide the needed funds to government agents or firms engaged in the buying of peanuts, so that our production would not eventually suffer owing to competition or other factors. Let there be enough funds to acquire the entire production, as well as for the purchase of seednuts and fertilizer for the 2001 farming season. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------