The committee set up to review all the aspects of Food Aid provided to The Gambia by the Japanese government under the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Thursday reviewed the 2009 and 2010 Food Aid project, ranging from application to distribution and sale of commodities at a meeting held at the Laico Atlantic Hotel in Banjul.

In her opening remarks, Ada Gaye, permanent secretary No.2 at the Ministry of Agriculture said the government and people of The Gambia fully recognise and appreciate the support of the Japanese government in the area of agriculture under the JICA project. “This support is today helping The Gambia,” she further acknowledged. While anticipating a fruitful discussion during the review of the project, PS Gaye called on participants to ensure a full participation.

Takuya Sei, the first secretary at the Japanese Embassy in Dakar noted that the West African sub-region including The Gambia suffered from crop failure in the 2011 rainy season and his country is closely working with The Gambia to restore the country to its normal agricultural production after the crop failure. “The government of Japan is keenly determined to help African countries, particularly in the area of agriculture,” he said.

Kasunao Shibata, a senior representative of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency from Dakar observed that the fundamental aim of the project is to strengthen and support food security in the country. He assured that the government of Japan is strongly committed to help alleviate any problem that may arise around food security in The Gambia. Shibata also used the gathering to thank the government of The Gambia for her efforts in improving the agriculture sector.