The Resilience of Organizations for Transformative Smallholder Agriculture Project (ROOTS), in collaboration with the National Food Security Processing and Marketing Corporation (NFSPMC) and the National Association of Vegetable Growers Cooperatives, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at strengthening the onion value chain in The Gambia.
The agreement establishes a framework for aggregating and marketing locally produced onions from smallholder farmers in the North Bank and West Coast Regions, the country's main onion-producing areas.
Officials state that the initiative is designed to improve market access, coordination between producers and buyers, and reduce post-harvest losses, while supporting consumption of locally grown onions. The approach links farmers directly to markets and aims to reduce reliance on imports.
The agreement forms part of the Agricultural Value Chain Interaction Platforms under the ROOTS Project, supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Famara Trawally, Project Director of ROOTS, said, "This is a game-changer for us as far as the MOU is concerned. As a project, our first component is production and productivity. When you increase production, you expect to have excess, and when you have excess, you need to have a very good market. That is why component two is all about the market."
He added: "The MOU will be dedicated to NFSPMC and Sosolaso, which is the marketing federation. We hope this will help us increase our marketability, particularly in relation to our highly perishable vegetables, such as onions."
Lamin L. Sanyang, Deputy Managing Director of NFSPMC, said the agreement is intended to support structured market access for smallholder onion producers. "This initiative aligns directly with NFSPMC's mandate as a national aggregator and market stabiliser, ensuring that farmers have reliable markets for their produce and receive fair returns for their hard work and investment."
According to stakeholders, the initiative addresses constraints including limited market access, post-harvest losses linked to handling and storage, reliance on imports, and unstable farmer incomes.
Kutubo Jarju, Senior Economist at the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment, said: "This comes at a particularly important moment, as global uncertainties continue to underscore the need for resilient domestic supply systems."
He added: "Strengthening local production must therefore be accompanied by improved market access and efficient value chain linkages that enable our farmers to fully benefit from their production."
Musa Huma, Director General of Agriculture, and Alhagie Nyangado, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security, also confirmed continued government support for improving production, quality, and supply systems. Ousman Manneh, representing SOSOLASO, said the agreement is expected to reduce post-harvest losses and support farmer incomes.
Source: The Point
