By: Josephine Nyeweah in Kenema District
The Paramount chief of DODO chiefdom who also doubles as chairman Council of Paramount Chiefs Kenema district, PC Alhaji Foday Fabah Kpakra has called on farmers of Lower Bambara, Kandu Leppiama, Dodo and Simbaru chiefdoms in Kenema district to come together and work as a farmer unit in realizing the benefits of their labour.
He made this call during the national launch of YAKINEH FARMERS Cooperative at the Kenema City Council hall, Maada Bio Street in Kenema.
He said as farmers they are not realizing much from their produce adding they as farmers are always cheated by some business people who have dominated the market along the supply chain. He said the business people mainly dealing with our local produce Cocoa and others always tampered with their measuring scale and sometimes provide 50kg of rice during the peak of the rainy season for one PK bag of cocoa during the cocoa season among others.
The founder and Chief Executive Officer of YAKINEH FARMERS Cooperative Dr. Emmanuel Dauda disclosed that he grew up in rural communities, and with his educational achievement, he realized that the farmers in his communities would ever remain poor, he, therefore, took the honors by mobilizing his brothers and sisters the chiefdoms that set up the cooperative to come to the aid of his people.
He said YAKINEH FARMERS Cooperative target is to promote suitable agricultural practices, strengthen markets and protect the environment in rural Sierra Leone.
He add that YAKINEH Farmers’Cooperative vision is to see a resilient rural Sierra Leone where people and environment thrive in agricultural productivity. The theme of the cooperative is Supporting Bulk Marketing Sales, there by training farmers in improved organic nursery establishment and management for Cocoa, Coffee, Cashews, Oil Palm and vegetable cultivation.
In his keynote address, Rev. Saffa Toto at the Department and Crop Protection unit Njala University described the idea of farmers from various chiefdoms coming together to operate as a unit as a move in the right direction in taking the farmers out of poverty.
He called on the farmers to take the ideas in the agricultural sector in good faith so that they will be producing organic cocoa that will hit the world market to earn premium that will be use for community development in the interest of all and sundry. He point out that the move of YAKINEH is line with government priority. He called on other farmers to come onboard the train of agricultural development.
