05 April 2011
Gambians feel the Pinch as Food Prices Skyrocket
The sudden increase in the price of foodstuffs has sparked disquiet among Gambian consumers, who lamented that they have to dig deep into their pockets to ensure the survival of their families.
Speaking in exclusive interviews, consumers complained that skyrocketing prices of essential food items have rendered them incapable of putting enough food on the family table as cost now outweighs their purchasing power.
Commercial driver Muhammed Sanneh said: “As a breadwinner struggling to cope with this situation, I am deeply worried about my family. My ability to provide square meals for my family on a daily basis has dwindled. The price of a cup of cooking oil has increased from D6 to D10 which I cannot afford on account of my meagre income.”
According to him, the price rise has compromised his ability to meaningfully invest in other areas of life to support his family.
“If buying food could be a problem, who would give attention to the education of children. Food is the most important of human needs and I personally do not put anything above it. My children have been attending private schools and received medical attention in private clinics but now I have declared a period of austerity to cut spending. I have informed my family that the days of three meals a day are over until the situation changes for the better,” Mr. Sanneh explained.
Mr. Sanneh said he was not unaware of the fact that the increase in food prices is a global phenomenon causing violent riots in some countries, but nevertheless took the opportunity to call on governments to swiftly provide solutions in the interest of their peoples.
“I know governments may not be at fault and I urge them to take every step necessary to address the problem. I call on President Jammeh to replicate the pragmatism and constructive dialogue for which he is renowned to arrest the problem,” he added.
Sanneh is not alone in his frustration over the rising cost of basic necessities. Mariama Senghore, a food vendor in Bakoteh said that as a result of price rises for the things she sells she has been forced to increase the cost of a loaf of bread and beans from D12 to D14, a move which has not gone down well with many of her customers.
“I am here not to make huge profits at the detriment of my customers, but I am not willing to make huge losses too. I adjusted the price to balance the cost and my sales. I hope the prices will come down soon so that my customers will stop harassing me. Their complaints are understandable,” she indicated.
Ebrima Faal, a Mauritanian wholesaler put the blame at the door step of supplies especially in respect of the price of sugar, a pot of which, he revealed, has increased from D6 to D10.
The major suppliers, he claimed, use the increase in the price of some basic commodities in the world market as well as high customs tariffs as an excuse to introduce cutthroat prices.
“The customs revenue collected is very essential for the government to embark on development projects. However, it will be very helpful in the present state of things if the government lowers tariffs on essential food items,” he suggested.
As a Gambian citizen on holiday from the United Kingdom, Fatoumatta Jeng said she was astonished at the rate at which prices of commodities increase, a situation which she said compares unfavourably with that of two years ago when she was in the country.
“A situation like this imposes a heavy burden on people in the economic sense. When I set out to save money to visit my family little did I know that it will come to this. Aside from scraping livelihood for my relatives I have also got to deal with the obligations to my own family. To my great regret even school fees have been affected,” she declared.
According to Ms Jeng, no sustainable solution could be found unless Gambians look honestly at themselves and ask the right questions about what went wrong. She said part of the answer lies in people’s response to President Jammeh’s advice to embrace agriculture and eventually grow their own foods as an agrarian society.
“If we can attain the kind of food self-sufficiency the president talks about, we will cease to exist at the mercy of global market uncertainties. Going back to the land should be embraced by all able-bodied Gambians. Action should begin where the talking has ended. The rest we should leave to God,” she emphasized.
Meanwhile, transport fares have been hiked across the country effective from Monday, April 4 2011,according to a copy of new tariff dispatched by the Gambia National Transport Control Association. According to the new tariff regime, commuters plying the Banjul-Serekunda road would now have to pay D10 while Serekunda to Bakau is now D7 from D5. Brikama to Serekunda is now D15 from D12 while transport within Serekunda is now D7 from D5.
The Gambia National Transport Control Association Vice President said that they had to make an upward review of prices as a result of the increase in global oil prices.
Speaking in exclusive interviews, consumers complained that skyrocketing prices of essential food items have rendered them incapable of putting enough food on the family table as cost now outweighs their purchasing power.
Commercial driver Muhammed Sanneh said: “As a breadwinner struggling to cope with this situation, I am deeply worried about my family. My ability to provide square meals for my family on a daily basis has dwindled. The price of a cup of cooking oil has increased from D6 to D10 which I cannot afford on account of my meagre income.”
According to him, the price rise has compromised his ability to meaningfully invest in other areas of life to support his family.
“If buying food could be a problem, who would give attention to the education of children. Food is the most important of human needs and I personally do not put anything above it. My children have been attending private schools and received medical attention in private clinics but now I have declared a period of austerity to cut spending. I have informed my family that the days of three meals a day are over until the situation changes for the better,” Mr. Sanneh explained.
Mr. Sanneh said he was not unaware of the fact that the increase in food prices is a global phenomenon causing violent riots in some countries, but nevertheless took the opportunity to call on governments to swiftly provide solutions in the interest of their peoples.
“I know governments may not be at fault and I urge them to take every step necessary to address the problem. I call on President Jammeh to replicate the pragmatism and constructive dialogue for which he is renowned to arrest the problem,” he added.
Sanneh is not alone in his frustration over the rising cost of basic necessities. Mariama Senghore, a food vendor in Bakoteh said that as a result of price rises for the things she sells she has been forced to increase the cost of a loaf of bread and beans from D12 to D14, a move which has not gone down well with many of her customers.
“I am here not to make huge profits at the detriment of my customers, but I am not willing to make huge losses too. I adjusted the price to balance the cost and my sales. I hope the prices will come down soon so that my customers will stop harassing me. Their complaints are understandable,” she indicated.
Ebrima Faal, a Mauritanian wholesaler put the blame at the door step of supplies especially in respect of the price of sugar, a pot of which, he revealed, has increased from D6 to D10.
The major suppliers, he claimed, use the increase in the price of some basic commodities in the world market as well as high customs tariffs as an excuse to introduce cutthroat prices.
“The customs revenue collected is very essential for the government to embark on development projects. However, it will be very helpful in the present state of things if the government lowers tariffs on essential food items,” he suggested.
As a Gambian citizen on holiday from the United Kingdom, Fatoumatta Jeng said she was astonished at the rate at which prices of commodities increase, a situation which she said compares unfavourably with that of two years ago when she was in the country.
“A situation like this imposes a heavy burden on people in the economic sense. When I set out to save money to visit my family little did I know that it will come to this. Aside from scraping livelihood for my relatives I have also got to deal with the obligations to my own family. To my great regret even school fees have been affected,” she declared.
According to Ms Jeng, no sustainable solution could be found unless Gambians look honestly at themselves and ask the right questions about what went wrong. She said part of the answer lies in people’s response to President Jammeh’s advice to embrace agriculture and eventually grow their own foods as an agrarian society.
“If we can attain the kind of food self-sufficiency the president talks about, we will cease to exist at the mercy of global market uncertainties. Going back to the land should be embraced by all able-bodied Gambians. Action should begin where the talking has ended. The rest we should leave to God,” she emphasized.
Meanwhile, transport fares have been hiked across the country effective from Monday, April 4 2011,according to a copy of new tariff dispatched by the Gambia National Transport Control Association. According to the new tariff regime, commuters plying the Banjul-Serekunda road would now have to pay D10 while Serekunda to Bakau is now D7 from D5. Brikama to Serekunda is now D15 from D12 while transport within Serekunda is now D7 from D5.
The Gambia National Transport Control Association Vice President said that they had to make an upward review of prices as a result of the increase in global oil prices.
