09 May 2008
The Gambian government is launching a seven million dollar agricultural project on a 200 hectares land located in the Kombo east region.
This project is part of the Gambia's policy to achieve food self-sufficiency. The land was leased to the Gambia Investment Promotion and Free Zones Agency (GIPFZA), with capital investment by Al Kharafi Company and Farm Frites, a Dutch company. The seven millions dollar are financed by Makfood company.
The partners held a sensitisation meeting for the opinion leaders of Kuloro and Pirang villages in the Kombo region, the Daily Observer reports.
Mohamed Nagaty, the area manager of Kharafi Company, announced that MAKFOOD will build a modern irrigation system at the farm, which will be powered by generators to ensure non-interrupted power supply and proper storage for the products.
The 200 hectares will be used to grow a wide range of cereals and vegetables on a large scale. The project is aiming at providing food to the Gambia as a hole but also to help youth unemployment with a lot of new work opportunities.