Kabala’s master farmer Alhaji Bala Sama Marrah has complained that though he cultivates about the largest acreage in the district yet he has not been receiving any assistance whatsoever from Government.
As perhaps the most successful farmer in the district Alhaji Bala has held the position of National Farmers Chairman in Kabala for over eight years but lately retired to concentrate on his farm,
He lamented that “most of the Agriculture Ministers in this country have visited my farm but unfortunately not a single assistance has been rendered to us, we are just doing it on our own …”
His Fadaba Farming Association was established in 1973 with over a thousand mango, banana and oil palm trees, and over 393 acres of cultivated swamp rice.
He said his nursery failed him last year due to lateness “we almost lost everything we planted, but for this year we are hopeful of having a bumper harvest.”
According to Alhaji Bala Sama Marrah post harvest loses have seriously affected his vegetables because there is lack of storage facilities coupled with deplorable road networks which he said has seriously affected his farming.
On the area of utilization of tractors by farmers he said, grouping of farmers to use a single tractor will not benefit farmers because most of the groups that benefited from the tractorization process are not genuine farmers in Kabala but politicians.
Kabala he explained “is widely known as the highest producer of vegetables in the country but we the farmers are not realizing much from farming … my children have been helping out at the farms from brushing to planting and harvesting,” he said “can you imagine we sell four oranges in Kabala for (Le100) one hundred Leones and when the traders take it to Freetown to sell they make more profits than the producers,” he queried.
He also disclosed that he has “over five miles of fertile land to cultivate and twenty acres have already been utilized for cassava plantation … there are more land to cultivate but we lack the necessary support like inputs and other logistics.”
The lack of a tractor has seriously affected productivity for the Kabala master farmer, because he is forced to hire laborers on a daily basis at the cost of Le5,000 per day causing serious financial challenges as there is land but no tools to cultivate it, he said.
He maintained that if the Government can see reason to support his farm with a tractor, store, drying floor and a vehicle he can cultivate many acres of land to help feed the nation and also export it to other neighboring countries.
Farmers in Kabala are living in abject poverty because they lack adequate support and there are over 500 already registered with the Fabada Farmers Association.
The agricultural inputs sent to Kabala by the Government of Sierra Leone have not reached the actual farmers who need it most, the master farmer said. “we are only hoping that after this interview authorities in Freetown will see reason to help the actual farmers with much needed logistics and expertise.”
By Saidu Bah