You guys hae deals with nitty-gritty of this subject. Gambia needs a new direction these people are impoverished of ideas to take us forward >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: Re: When Are They Going To Get Paid? >Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 13:14:45 +0200 > >Bro Joe, > >I was asking the same question when I read the article and if you could >remember Jungle posted an article to the GL were the SECY for Agriculture >was >reacting to a similar article that appeared in the independent. We could >read >in that article; > >"The SECY for Agriculture, Mr. Hassan Sallah called the editor over > the holiday to react to our editorial. SECY said credit buying has been >substantially reduced over the past few weeks. He > revealed that as at now it stands at D45 m which will be reduced next >week >with the pumping of an additional D23 m. For the > remaining, Sallah said, plans are afoot to clear all the debts by the end >of >April 2002." > >We are in May and soon June and I hope this journalist will make a second >visit to the SOS.The problem of the farmers is not taking serious by this >government. There is this plain fact that much of the development >activities >at home are foreign programme, thus creating lot of external dept without >been >able to deal with the concrete conditions of our people. Is it not >ridiculous >for the SOS to encourage youths to go back to the land when farmers are yet >to >be paid for many months of hard working, the maleria, the hunger, the >sweet, >you name it. In his recent interview with the observer we could read; > >"He noted that the government had a >Policy of Back-to-the-Land and called >on the youths to take an active role in >Agriculture to fully realise the potentials >of the policy. "Agriculture is the >Backbone of our economy and since >The government's announcement of this >Policy there has been a significant >improvement in agricultural >production," he said." > > More than 50% of the work forces in the country are farmers and yet still >we >are not able to provide enough food for our self. We have farmers who are >still not able to sell their products or did not get their monies after a >long >and hard working season and yet still we are asking the youths to involve >in >arigulture. If there is this problem of marketing the farmer's groundnuts, >why >not engage them in the production of rice instead of calling on the youths >to >go back to the land. But no, another big promise; > >"Mr Sallah assured the National Youth >Service Scheme (NYSS) of his >Department's full cooperation and >support to ensure a higher yield in the >Sapu rice field.His department, he added, was making all efforts to lift >the >practice of >agriculture from its subsistence level to a commercial one." > >The abundant production of rice and commercialisation is no new news. Long >time back Tombong Saidy came here with the same news and we are still >waiting >whiles poor quality imported rice is becoming more and more expensive for >ordinary Gambians.This State is depending highly on loans and grants, this >is >the fact, this is why people are asked to go and buy bandage for wounds to >de >dressed at our main hospitals, this is why poor Bekai was even lucky that >he >got his wounds dressed and this is why hardly a week pass without reading >in >the papers that X or Y have donated hospital equipments whiles jets >fighters >show our skies with tax payers monies. >In a recent newspaper article, one could read that; > >"Momodou B.A. Senghore one of the bank's Board of Directors in a >typical 'state of the bank address' told the 24th annual general meeting >of the bank's directors at the Kairaba Beach Hotel last week that the >relative decline in tourism activity, the absence of a vibrant cross >border trading and the groundnut marketing crisis meant that the local >currency performed dismally and led to a rally for the dollar and the >pound."(Observer) > >If the government could not take serious the newspaper reports on the >condition of the farmers, then they should at least listen to their >economists. Farmers are more than 50% of our population; their purchasing >power will determine our economic activity and development. >You just can't go on building hospitals when you don't have good primary >health care service. You just don't go on creating more farmers when you >have >enough of them living in acute poverty. > >For Freedom > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~