Senegal’s National Platform for Rural Consultation and Cooperation (CNCR) has expressed concern over the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on activities of agropastoralists in the country.
By Edouard Toure
“We note that the Covid-19 crisis has added to the effects of the 2019/2020 agricultural season, the results of which have been mixed, despite the commitment of our members and the efforts of the government. Today, most of our members are faced with dwindling family food stocks and now turn to the markets to buy their foodstuffs until the next harvest” Nadjirou Sall, the president of CNCR told journalists in the northern town of Podor on Wednesday.
Sall added: “However, the closure of the weekly local markets, also known as ‘loumas’ where we sold our chickens, sheep, goats, fruits, vegetables, cereals, etc., to maintain a family cash flow during the dry season, have worsened the food situation of the families”.
He added that Senegal’s horticultural produce, the sale of which coincided with the arrival of the Covid-19, are going through very difficult times with the restriction of interurban transport that hinders the flow of vegetables and fruits to big cities in the country.
According to him, in irrigated areas, off-season production is worrying, the marketing and reimbursement of loans to banks under these conditions of semi-confinement and strict limitation of contacts and exchanges are being compromised.
“With regard to animal husbandry, nomadic herders are still present in the fallback areas in the country’s eastern and southern regions” he said.
With restriction of movements, the mobility of pastoral and agropastoral communities is very difficult if not impossible, making it hard for livestock to access pastures and water points.
As for poultry farming, the cancellation of major religious events, restrictions on mobility, the closure of hotels, restaurants and markets or mass consumption have caused real difficulties in the sale of poultry products.
The fishing sector is also strongly impacted by the closure or reduction of the opening time of fishing wharves, he said.
“Our members note a drop in landings, leading to a significant reduction in the income of fishermen. With the closure of airports, export factories that were taking 80 percent of all catches no longer get their supplies from us” he lamented.
Based on these observations, the National Platform for Rural Consultation and Cooperation urges the state to proceed as soon as possible with the distribution of food relief to family farms affected by the bad agricultural season of last year and mitigate the consequences of lean times in rural areas.
It also asks the government to buy or facilitate the marketing of market gardening and poultry products and add it to the relief items to be distributed to vulnerable households, to secure rice production in the off-season in the Senegal River valley and in the Anambe basin.
To avoid a loss of part of the rice production with the start of the rains, harvesting and storage should be done very quickly, it also suggests.
CNCR also requests settlement of all or part of the debts owed by farmers to industrialists and the Agricultural Bank (LBA) in order to preserve the promising contractual system and secure the next farming season.
Finally, the National Platform for Consultation and Rural Cooperation calls for the revival of traditional fishing through the establishment of a fund that will allow fishermen and women processors to rekindle their activities.
TE/id/fss/as/APA