The ministry of trade, industry, regional integration and employment has said it has observed that the stock levels for most of the essential food commodities it monitored are adequate to cover the month of Ramadan.
In a press statement yesterday, the ministry also observed that wholesale prices of most of the essential commodities have generally been stable.
“However, the ministry is concerned that the increased retail prices of essential commodities in the markets in the early days of the month . We are hereby warning the business community, particularly the retailers, to cease from taking advantage of the holy month of Ramadan to hike prices of essential commodities. This goes against the spirit of the holy month and free market principles,” the statement added.
The ministry called on the Gambia competition and consumer protection commission to closely monitor the market and ensure that there is effective competition and that businesses do not take advantage of the month to exploit consumers
