By: Modou Touray
The National Food Security and Processing Marketing Corporation (NFSPMC), formerly the Gambia Groundnut Corporation (GCC), has raised concerned over the state of Gambia’s groundnut trade, describing it as “high risk” and lacking proper structure.
Deputy Managing Director Lamin L. Sanyang told lawmakers yesterday that outdated warehouses and landing sites, weak organisational systems, and limited oversight are affecting efficiency and farmer income.
“If you entrust an institution with D2 billion when essential elements are missing, that’s a high risk we’ve been dealing with for years,” Sanyang said.
He added that NFSPMC has budgeted 25 million, to rehabilitate warehouses and is looking to partner with private investors to modernize the facilities.
Despite these challenges, Sanyang highlighted technological improvements that are boosting efficiency. Automated weekly scales, ticketing systems, and an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system now allow real-time tracking of deliveries, payments, and farm data. This season, NFSPMC achieved a 92 per cent delivery rate.
Transportation remains a bottleneck, with river buoys each carrying 200 tons, identified as a cheaper alternative to road transport, saving 75 per cent of costs.
Officials also briefed lawmakers on an ongoing processing and cogeneration project funded by an Islamic development bank and international partners. While progress is being made, technical delays and funding gaps, now estimated at 35 million, remain a challenge.
Sanyang urged lawmakers to support modernization, strengthen credit-buying policies, and sustain digital and automated systems to ensure greater efficiency, transparency, and reliability in Gambia’s groundnut trade.
