Farmers Urge Better Prices as Groundnut Harvest Improves 

By Lamin Fatty

What began as a season of fear and sleepless nights for farmers in parts of The Gambia is turning into a period of hope as the groundnut harvest gets underway.

Farmers in the Upper River Region (URR) and Central River Region (CRR) say the rains came late, then stopped during a critical part of the growing season. The dry spell left them worried that crops would fail. But rain returned, and many now expect a better groundnut harvest than they feared in July and August.

The outlook is not the same for every crop or every community. Farmers say groundnuts have generally recovered, while maize, especially in some areas where it was planted late, suffered from the lack of rain.

When Foroyaa spoke to farmers in different parts of the country, many described the same change in mood: the dry spell made them fear the worst, but the fields are now bringing them hope.

In Taiffa Sandu, in URR North, Musa Jaiteh stood among his groundnut plants, holding up a bunch he had just uprooted. He said that two months earlier he had almost lost hope.

“We were scared due to the constant dry spell in the middle of the season,” Jaiteh told Foroyaa. “Fortunately for us, we anticipate good harvest despite all the dry spells we experienced at the most crucial moment of the season.”

Jaiteh said August was a critical month for farming in the region. It is when groundnuts, maize and millet need enough water to flower, form pods and fill their grains.

“Experiencing dry spells at that time was scary,” he said, recalling the weeks without rain. “We did not know whether the rains would come back. We prayed every day. We looked at the sky every morning. Sometimes we saw clouds, but no rain.”

The same fields that had worried him are now giving him hope, Jaiteh said. His groundnuts are filling well, and the harvest is progressing smoothly. If the remaining work goes as expected, he believes he will harvest more than he did last year.

In Sami Madina, in CRR North, Sulaiman Krubally and other farmers were harvesting groundnuts. Krubally said farmers were now hopeful of a strong yield.

“As we are busy harvesting, our anticipation is high on bumper harvest with groundnut crop,” he told Foroyaa.

He said the season’s uneven rainfall had affected crops differently. Farmers who planted early had done better, while some who planted maize late were facing losses.

“Here the uneven rainfall seriously affected the maize crop, as a good number of maize farmers failed, especially those who planted a bit late,” Krubally said.

He said maize was more vulnerable when rain stopped around the time it was flowering. Groundnuts, by contrast, had survived the dry period in his area.

“But for groundnuts, we thank God. The crop has survived and is giving us good yield,” he said.

Farmers in other parts of URR and CRR also told Foroyaa that groundnut harvesting was under way. In many villages, men, women and children were helping to uproot plants, pick the nuts, dry them and pack them into bags. Some farmers were also helping neighbours move from one farm to another.

One farmer in URR South, who asked not to be named, said the harvest was better than he expected when the dry spell was at its worst.

“In July and August, we thought we had lost everything. But God brought the rain back. Now when you uproot the groundnut, you see the pods are full. We are happy,” he said.

In CRR, another farmer said the harvest had eased worries about how families would feed themselves in the coming months.

“Last year, we struggled. This year, we were scared again. But now, we are seeing hope,” he said.

Despite the growing optimism, the harvest is not expected to be equally strong everywhere. Some farming communities may get yields similar to last year, while others could harvest less.

Where rainfall was more evenly spread, farmers are expecting a good groundnut crop. In areas where the dry spell lasted longer, yields may be lower, although farmers say the outcome is better than they feared during the dry period.

Maize, millet and early millet were also affected in some areas, particularly where planting took place late. Groundnuts, one of the country’s main cash crops and an important source of income for rural families, appear to have recovered in many communities after the rains returned.

The account notes that groundnuts can recover from a dry spell when rain resumes, while maize is more vulnerable when it lacks water at flowering time.

For rural families, the groundnut harvest is important for more than food. Farmers said income from the crop can help them pay school fees, buy clothes, settle debts and prepare for the dry season.

Many plan to sell part of their crop to the Gambia Groundnut Corporation or private buyers. They also intend to keep some groundnuts for seed and household use.

One farmer in Sandu, loading bags onto a donkey cart, said the harvest could help families meet expenses after a difficult season.

“We have suffered enough. This harvest will help us settle our debts and take care of our families,” he said.

Women play a central role in groundnut farming, from planting and harvesting to processing. A good crop, the report notes, can help women support their families and invest in dry-season vegetable gardens.

As harvesting continues, farmers say the fear they felt during the dry spell has given way to relief and thanksgiving. They are also calling on the government and agricultural organisations to provide timely seeds, fertiliser, weather information and better marketing arrangements so farmers can benefit from their crops.

Krubally said fair prices would be essential for farmers to make the most of the harvest.

“If we can get a good price for our groundnuts, this year will be a good year for us,” he said.

For Jaiteh, the season has tested farmers’ patience but also renewed their hope.

“We were scared, but we did not give up. We kept working on our farms. Now, God has rewarded us,” he said.