Gambia distributes 12 tractors to farmers
The Ministry of Agriculture aims to boost food production and modernise farming with new machinery.
The Ministry of Agriculture handed over 12 tractors to farmers on Friday at the Agricultural Soil Campus in Yundum. This distribution is part of the government's agricultural mechanisation programme to increase food production and modernise farming.
Minister of Agriculture Dr. Demba Sabally stated the initiative will improve productivity by giving farmers better access to machinery, following an earlier distribution of 25 tractors. The programme uses a cost-sharing model where government and farmers each pay 25 per cent upfront, with the remaining 50 per cent paid over four years.
NACOFAG President Musa F. Sowe said the tractors will help farmers increase production, cut costs, and cultivate more land. The Regional Agricultural Director for the West Coast Region, Bakary Gassama, noted a new strategy was adopted after some farmers failed to repay under a 2020 scheme.