By Aji Fatou Faal
Barely seven weeks before the Holy month of Ramadan began, prices of basic food commodities are on the rise, a national assembly member has said.
Mr Mohammad Ndow, NAM for Banjul Central, said prices of basic commodities such as cooking oil, flour, imported chicken legs, meat, and onions are skyrocketing.
Mr Ndow made these disclosures at an adjournment debate of the First Ordinary Session of the 2018 Legislative Year at the National Assembly Chambers.
He said Gambians would not be able to manage such difficult conditions “simply because salaries are very poor and during this Holy Month of Ramadan importers normally increase the prices of all basic commodities even if the foreign currency is low, this doesn’t help the Gambian people.”
According to the lawmaker, skyrocketing prices means people will “suffer more.”
“The importers do this because the basic food commodities demand is always high during the month of Ramadan and the saddest thing is that the importers, majority of whom Muslims, instead of doing Ramadan promotions to help people gain reward, no, they prefer to make people suffer.”
Mr Ndow said a bag of onion now costs D450, adding that two days before Ramadan, the price would escalate to D700 which applies to sugar and other basic commodities respectively.
He urged the Ministry of Trade to step up its game and clamp down on these issues which are underpinning Gambian lives.
