The Taiwanese Technical Mission in The Gambia and Regional Agricultural Directorate in Kerewan in the North Bank Region Sunday held a one-day evaluation of crops performance with farmers for the 2011 farming season. The meeting was held at the Agricultural Station in Kerewan, North Bank Region.

Speaking at the occasion, George Sun, the Taiwanese Technical Mission’s rice specialist of the Gambia Rice Expansion Project, thanked the farmers for their continuous support and commitment to the attainment of food self-sufficiency. He explained that the evaluation meeting is aimed at providing opportunity for farmers, Gambia Rice Expansion and the Agricultural Directorate to discuss about the performance of rice, among other crops in the 2011 farming season.

He revealed that in the 2011 farming season, the performance of rice in NBR fell by 60%, meaning that the farmers in the Lower, Central and Upper Baddibu as well as Sabach Sanjal would experience food insecurity. The TTM’s Rice Specialist called on farmers to ensure timely planting of rice seeds and also follow best agronomic practices from agric extension workers. He hailed the efforts of President Jammeh in the attainment of food security and poverty reduction.

Alasan Bah of the Kerewan Agricultural Directorate, said the 2011 farming season has witnessed a significant drop on yields of cereals, groundnut and rice in Lower, Central and Upper Baddibu and Sabach Sanjal districts due to low rainfall. Bah noted that his office and Gambia Rice Expansion Program of Taiwanese Technical Mission are fully aware of this constraint, while calling on farmers to be proactive in the selection of seeds in areas where crop yields was good.

For his part, Sambou Dampha, president of North Bank Nerica Farmers Association and Sako Camara of Sara Kunda, both thanked the TTM and President Jammeh for the establishment of the Gambia Rice Project, noting that the project is aimed at contributing to the attainment of food self-sufficiency. They appealed to government and development partners to support farmers in supplementing food.