<p></p><p>The president of the Republic has commended the people of North Bank Region (NBR), especially the Niuminkas, for their active involvement in the large-scale production of cashew. His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya Jammeh was speaking Saturday during a meeting in Farafenni as part of his ongoing nationwide tour, which commenced on Thursday, 17th April, 2014.</p> <p>Cashew, a major cash crop after groundnut, has in recent times received greater attention from farmers, mainly in the Northern part of The Gambia, due to its lucrative market. Farmers have seen it as highly rewarding venture and have since gone all out to engage in its large-scale production. In the words of the Gambian leader, the Niuminkas should be commended for putting Gambia in tight competition with Guinea Bissau, a major producing country in the sub-region. He urged for the gains to be sustained in this regard. </p><p>The Gambian leader also used the meeting to explain the objectives of his tour. "My tour is to dismantle all the 'Bantabas' and ensure that the citizens concentrate on the farm. Allah gave us two hands so that we can have the strength to work. Feeding yourself from your sweat is one of the biggest ways of worshiping Allah," the president stated. He again stressed the need for Gambians to go back to the land to 'work and feed ourselves' so that Gambians can put an end to the importation of food items which they have no idea how they were produced. Jammeh underlined that if all Gambians stand-up and till the land to feed themselves, the results will be remarkably surprising. Focusing this year's tour on agriculture in pursuit of his Vision 2016 target of ending decades-old dependency on foreign imports, Jammeh told the thousands of people in Farafenni that all hands must be on deck to attain it. This, he said, will ensure that people's health is also guaranteed owing to the current rate of ailments previously unheard of in the country. "In The Gambia today, there are too many sicknesses, most of which are caused by eating food we don't know how they were produced. Today, you will see children having high blood, asthma, diabetes and many other sicknesses all because we are eating things which we never know how and where they are from. Previously, people lived for more than 100 years while they are still strong, but today, we are having more hospitals and more patients," he observed. </p><p>The Gambian leader acknowledged that since 1994 to date, his government has made huge investments into the agriculture sector, but hastened to note that, he has also discovered the need for the government to change its operational modules in the sector. </p><p>He said since 1994, he has provided tractors to Gambians for them to work, but lamented that they were misused thanks to a few individuals at the expense of the majority. "In The Gambia, we have the capacity to cultivate rice for not only our consumption, but to also export them to other parts of West Africa. Whatever I say, by the will of the Almighty Allah, I will do it," he promised.</p> <p>Jammeh also used the meeting to heap praises on the women folk for being exemplary in the national development process, crediting them for the many successful projects. "I am thanking Allah that since I started working with the women, there has been many success stories. Whatever project I brought to the country, it wouldn't normally go successfully without the participation of women," he acknowledged, while also commending the young people for their effort. The minister of Agriculture, Solomon Owens, said it is President Jammeh's hope that by 2016, all the rice that Gambians will consume will be indigenously produced. </p><p>The minister said when the president made that declaration during his 2013 tour, he received serious criticisms from skeptics, but expressed with delight that other bigger African countries like Nigeria and Ivory Coast have borrowed the Gambian leader's concept and targets. "The means to achieve this target is by mechanising agriculture; provide equipment, seed and fertilizer," he told the farmers. The Basic and Secondary Education minister, Fatou Lamin Faye; and the APRC national mobiliser and mayor of Kanifing, Yankuba Colley, both described President Jammeh's vision 2016 as not only realistic, but a worthy cause that should be embraced by all and sundry. </p><p>They reminded the gathering that this year will be the 20th anniversary of the July 22nd Revolution, and that as part of the celebrations, a fundraising committee has been launched. "We don't want President Jammeh to fund this year's celebration because he has done a lot for Gambians. We want every Gambian to contribute at least 20 dalasi towards this year's celebrations," National Mobiliser Colley said. Governor Lamin Queen Jammeh, for his part, thanked the president for the construction of both major and minor roads in the region, citing that of Laminkoto-Passamas as one of the biggest in the area. </p><p>Ebrima Ansu Jammeh and Alhagie Jim Fatima Jobe, chiefs of Upper Baddibu and Jokadou respectively, said this year's tour should give every Gambian a new hope that with commitment, the country can drive away hunger. While thanking President Jammeh for uniting the people of the region and the entire country, the chiefs assured him of their readiness to support his initiatives to the letter. The National Assembly member for Jokadou, Amadou Khan, and the councilor of Njaba Kunda ward, Lang Bala Sawo, both assured President Jammeh of their commitment to support his vision for the country. </p><p>Alhagie Saikou Jallow, Fatou Sonko and Foday Drammeh, the APRC regional chairman, a women councilor and the region's youth mobiliser, respectively, all commended the Gambian leader for his continued encouragement to Gambians. The trio called on the people of the region and all Gambians to lend a hand to President Jammeh and work towards putting a definitive stop to food importation by the target year. </p><p> </p><br><p></p>