Agriculture Minister Urges Support for Barrow, Cites Ambitious 2030 Food Security Target

By Makutu Manneh

Demba Sabally, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security, has urged residents of Manduar in the West Coast Region to support President Adama Barrow in the December 5 presidential election, arguing that his re-election would help The Gambia achieve food self-sufficiency by 2030.

Speaking during President Barrow’s Meet-the-People Tour in Manduar, Mr. Sabally said the administration was pursuing an ambitious agricultural development agenda aimed at reducing the country’s dependence on imported food, particularly rice.

He said President Barrow had made food self-sufficiency a central priority of his administration, with several agricultural initiatives already underway to help the country meet its 2030 target.

“So this program he put in place so that The Gambia can attain self-food sufficiency, on December 5, every Gambian should take their vote and vote for him,” Mr. Sabally said, urging voters to give the president another mandate to continue his agricultural policies.

The minister said the government was developing more than 10 agricultural sites across the country, stretching from Kombo to Basse, to support year-round cultivation. According to him, the projects are designed to allow farmers to cultivate their land up to three times annually, potentially increasing domestic food production.

Mr. Sabally also praised the administration’s commitment to farmers, saying that despite the president’s responsibility for the welfare of more than two million Gambians, agricultural development remained a key government priority.

He maintained that the administration’s investments in farming infrastructure and agricultural programs were intended not only to strengthen national food security but also to improve livelihoods and ease the economic burden on ordinary Gambians.

The minister’s remarks come as President Barrow seeks another term in office, with his administration presenting agricultural development and the goal of food self-sufficiency as part of its case for continued leadership.