Paramount Chief Mohamed Kailondo Banya VI has defended his people against accusations that they sell their foodstuffs in neighbouring Guinea and Liberia.
Speaking to Awoko recently P.C. Banya said people in Kailahun have little or no alternative as far as marketing their goods is concerned because the roads are deplorable they just cannot transport their goods to other parts of the country for sale to the public.
Besides he went on they were not comfortable with smuggling activities along the common borders noting that some businessmen in the neighboring countries are taking advantage of the deplorable road network in the country.
Further commenting on the deplorable road network in the country, he said the bad road is a major challenge to the development of the district noting that no one government could be blamed for neglecting the Kailahun road as all the governments from the colonial administration, SLPP to APC are guilty of neglecting the Kailahun road.
He however acknowledged receipt of moves made by the incumbent APC government to prioritizing the road as one of those to be reconstructed. President Koroma is on record to have said that the signing of the road project from Kenema to Pendembu in the Kailahun district would be accomplished soonest and the remaining roads from Pendembu to Koindu would be done too when funds are available.
In Kailahun Paramount Chief Mohamed Kailondo Banya VI and others have used their own capital, locally made farming tools manufactured by blacksmiths with no application of chemical fertilizer to cultivate both upland and swamp farm lands.
The PC Banya said even though the soil in Kailahun is conducive for agriculture, he has not been receiving any input from government or NGO’s in the form of capital, fertilizer, seedlings, equipment or other incentives to enhance his agricultural activities.
He explained that during the last regime he made several invitations to then Minister of Agriculture Dr. Sama Mondeh to see for himself his farming activities in order to motivate him to support him on rice production but that he never honoured the invitation nor lived up to his promise.
Consequently the Chief claims that this year he cultivated rice on a small scale because of his regular attendance in Parliament as compared to the previous years when he was less busy. Chief says farming is his preoccupation but since he was elected Member of Parliament representing all paramount chiefs in the district his concentration on his farming activities have been very minimal as he has to properly represent the chiefs and the entire district.
“This year I did 15 acres of swamp farm with 21 bushels of rice as compared to previous years when I cultivated more than 100 acres independent of government and donor supports” he said.
The topography of Kailahun district could not permit large scale low land farming where a tractor could be hired to operate, therefore most of the farmer’s do subsistence upland farming while concentrating on tree plant production.
One of the reasons Chief Banya advanced for the low agricultural productivity is after the war most youths who may have stayed in refugee camp and major towns in the country have taken to commercial bike riding as a swift means of survival thereby leaving rice production in the hands of the aged who can only manage to farm for consumption and not for commercialization.
On the strategy to undertake his agricultural activities, he stated that the services of some youth groups are hired to work on his farm instead of a tractor which is not readily available.
He however observed that these days the services of the youth groups are very expensive as compared to the previous farming season as each gang worker is paid between Le5,000 to Le6,000 per hour because they would be tempted to work for more farmers a day to increase their earnings.
Responding to his marketing strategy, he said last year alone he recorded over 200 bags of clean rice from rice harvested but he bartered them in Mattru Jong for palm oil.
By Saidu Bah