By Hadram Hydara
President Adama Barrow has directed the Ministers of Agriculture and Finance to address farmers’ concerns about the new digital payment system introduced for the Groundnut Trade Season, according to a press statement from the Office of the President on Tuesday.
This follows increasing concerns from farmers regarding the use of digital payment platforms.
The statement added that in a meeting held in Banjul on Monday, Agriculture Minister Dr. Demba Sabally instructed QGroup to enhance payment services at the 95 Seccos nationwide to facilitate transactions for farmers.
Finance Minister Seedy Keita reassured farmers of the Government’s commitment to supporting the agricultural sector.
Alagie Ceesay of the Gambia Farmers’ Union highlighted issues like inadequate sensitization and insufficient payout agents. NACOFAG’s Musa Sowe and FACs Abdoulie S. Khan echoed these concerns and called for cooperation in resolving the issues.
QGroup Chairman Muhammed Jah promised to intensify the QMoney awareness campaign, deploy more agents, and ensure timely cash availability. The 2024 Groundnut Trade Season, which began on December 2, 2024, and ends on March 2, 2025, offers a market price of D38,000.00 per tonne, higher than regional rates.
The new payment system is part of The Gambia Government’s digital transformation strategy to prevent financial losses, with a Task Force established to monitor its implementation.
