The Gambia For All (GFA) party has issued a sharp rejoinder to Minister of Agriculture Demba Sabally, dismissing his recent television appearance as heavy on personal attacks and light on policy substance. The opposition grouping accused the Adama Barrow administration of neglecting key agricultural challenges at the onset of the rainy season, when timely support for farmers is most critical.
In a detailed press statement, GFA defended its earlier criticism of the government’s handling of the agricultural sector, focusing on three main areas: the persistent late arrival of fertilizers, the lack of accessible financing for smallholder farmers, and the neglect of horticultural gardens.
The party emphasized that its response was limited to policy matters, noting that “the record of Honorable BB Dabo speaks for itself.”
GFA highlighted the chronic delays in the distribution of government-supplied fertilizer, describing it as a longstanding problem spanning multiple years. Citing a 2024 performance audit by the National Audit Office (NAO), the party said the audit confirmed late arrivals in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 across all regions, based on interviews with farmers.
“As of the end of June, not a single kilogram of fertilizer had reached farmers upcountry,” GFA stated. The party accused Minister Sabally of being “deeply out of touch with conditions on the ground” for denying the reality, arguing that his continued leadership reflects the administration’s lack of seriousness toward agriculture.
On agricultural financing, GFA rejected the minister’s claim that the Social Development Fund (SDF) provides support to farmers. The party said the SDF’s agricultural financing function has been discontinued and that the fund has been plagued by mismanagement, including the removal of its Managing Director and Director of Finance after the alleged misappropriation of millions of dalasi.
The minister’s reference to the GAMIRSAL programme, supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB), was also dismissed. GFA argued that citing donor involvement does not equate to results on the ground, noting the absence of specific figures on beneficiaries or funds actually disbursed to Gambian farmers. “No meaningful government-attributable agricultural financing exists,” the statement read.
Regarding horticultural gardens, GFA painted a bleak picture of village-level farming. Most gardens reportedly lack adequate irrigation water, with many lacking boreholes or having insufficient capacity. The party said cold storage facilities are virtually non-existent, forcing farmers to rely on community efforts, private philanthropists, or external donors rather than government support. It added that the few developed gardens date back to the Jammeh era, while current seed distributions are minimal and consistently delayed.
The rejoinder also noted two major issues Minister Sabally failed to address: prolonged delays in payments for groundnut harvests—sometimes up to five months—and the decline in irrigated land area. GFA claimed that infrastructure, such as the Jahally Pacharr rice fields, has deteriorated and accused the administration of diverting at least D500 million in AfDB funds intended for irrigation to associates of President Barrow.
GFA concluded that the minister’s silence on these points underscores the accuracy of its original assessment. “The GFA has accurately described the reality facing Gambian farmers, and no amount of deflection changes that,” the party asserted.
