Goudiry: Faced with the water shortage, the Minister of Agriculture announces a series of measures

The agricultural season is experiencing mixed fortunes in eastern Senegal. During a visit to the departments of Goudiry and Koumpentoum, the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Livestock, Dr. Cheikhou Oumar Ba, toured several family farms. During this tour, farmers outlined their challenges, particularly those related to irregular rainfall, while the Minister announced several measures concerning water, livestock, mechanization, and the upcoming agricultural season.

In Bala, in the Goudiry department, the ministerial delegation visited A. Diallo's farm. The farmer cultivates peanuts and corn on 16 hectares. His ambition is to develop his farm through seed multiplication, market gardening, and the modernization of livestock farming.

The tour continued in Bamba Thialène, where the minister met a young farmer. Originally from the area, he cultivates 25 hectares of peanuts, 5 hectares of millet, and 5 hectares of maize.

During his meeting with the minister, the producer highlighted the impact of rainfall gaps on crops. The local population, for their part, voiced several grievances concerning water management, storage facilities, mechanization, reforestation, poultry farming, and the marketing of their produce. The mayor, meanwhile, commended the timely delivery of agricultural inputs.

In Goudiry, the minister reported approximately 500 mm of rainfall, compared to 400 mm during the same period the previous year. However, he noted a rainfall deficit of around 100 mm for the region as a whole.

According to Dr. Cheikhou Oumar Ba, the issue is not limited to the amount of rainfall recorded. Its distribution over time is also a determining factor for crops.

The minister explained that the weather forecasts provided in advance had made it possible to anticipate the situation, particularly through the provision of short-cycle varieties of cowpeas and peanuts.

In the Koumpentoum department, the delegation visited a recently completed slaughtering area. The infrastructure, built as part of the Regional Pastoralism Support Program (PRAPS), cost 48,360,451 CFA francs. Located in an area used by transhumant herders, it is part of a system designed to improve the reception conditions for herders coming from the North via the corridor.

The farmers welcomed the completion of the infrastructure, while drawing the authorities' attention to another concern: the progressive degradation of the pasture due to irregular rainfall.

In response, the minister announced the acceleration of the drilling of mini-boreholes, with a target completion date set for November. In the livestock sector, fodder cowpeas have already been distributed, and this program is expected to be strengthened.

According to the minister, approximately 3.2 billion CFA francs have also been mobilized, on the decision of the Prime Minister, for the purchase of feed for livestock.

Regarding agricultural insurance, Dr. Ba indicated that insured producers whose crops have been affected, particularly maize, will be compensated at 100% under the conditions stipulated by the scheme. For coverage of 100,000 CFA francs, the premium amounts to 6,000 CFA francs, half of which is covered by the State.

The minister, however, downplayed the estimates put forward by some producers regarding the extent of the affected areas. According to his assessment, the risk would concern a maximum of 40% of the land, while some producers were suggesting losses could reach 100%.

Another announcement: the elimination of import VAT on agricultural equipment. The minister also announced the preparation of a program for tillers and mini-tractors in partnership with SISMAR.

The marketing of peanuts was also discussed. A meeting with the Ministry of Commerce is scheduled for Tuesday to examine, among other things, the issue of parallel sales.

For the upcoming agricultural season, the minister announced a change in operators by December at the latest. The stated objective is to ensure the availability of inputs before May 15th, whereas previously they were made available in May or June.

Markets should also be launched before December in order to better promote the produce from the dry off-season.

Dr. Cheikhou Oumar Ba also emphasized the importance of empowering producers and organizing them into cooperatives. "The state doesn't own any land; the producers do," he stated, urging stakeholders to improve their organization. To illustrate his point, he cited the cost of land rental and agricultural services.

According to him, on 2,000 hectares cultivated with one hectare rented at 30,000 CFA francs, the sums paid to service providers can represent an amount greater than the cost of two tractors.

The minister also mentioned the launch of the Diomaye Plan for eastern Senegal. He announced that subsidies must now be tracked and georeferenced starting with this campaign, with the involvement of the local government.

"We are staying the course, but we are changing our approach," he said before concluding: "Judge us by our actions."