By Nelson Manneh
Year-on-year food prices in The Gambia continue to increase, they hardly drop or stagnant for at least a year – as observed by Fact-Check Gambia within the years 2020 to 2024.
The Gambia, like some other African countries, imports most of its basic commodities: Rice, Sugar, Flour, Onion, Potatoes, and Cooking Oil from other countries.
In November 2020, Foroyaa Newspaper published a story titled “Gambia in Catch-22- Situation As Prices of Essential Commodities Continue to Skyrocket”. The article narrates how the country continues to experience an increase in the prices of essential commodities and some of the contributing factors.
“For the past three years, the prices of essential commodities continue to soar in the country. The issue—which is a hot topic discussed in every nook and cranny—seems far from abating,” Foroyaa’s article indicated.
March 20, 2024, The Standard Newspaper published an editorial titled “The rising cost of living”. “The worst part of this problem is that it is the prices of food items that seem to be increasing the most. Daily consumables like rice, oil, sugar, onions and other food items have gone up and many Gambians are feeling the pinch. It has become almost impossible for poor families to have the standard three meals a day”, the Newspaper said.
The data above shows the rise in prices of essential food commodities within the Grater Banjul Area. Data is collected from retail businesses.
The price of rice, cooking oil and onions are never fixed. In 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic a bag of rice costs D1, 250, a bag of sugar D2, 050, onions D450 and 20 liters gallon of cooking oil D750.
In 2021, a bag of rice cost D1, 300, a bag of sugar D2, 250, a bag of onions D550 and a 20-litter gallon of cooking oil D850. This was not sustained, the prices continue to escalate the next year.
In 2022, a bag of rice costs D1, 600, a bag of sugar D2, 400, a bag of onions D600 and a 20-litter gallon of cooking oil D950.
In 2023, a bag of rice cost D1, 800, a bag of sugar D2, 550, a bag of onions D700 and a 20- litter gallon of cooking oil D1, 150. These prices were maintained from mid 2023 to the beginning of 2024.
However, in 2024, the prices rapidly increased. A bag of rice cost D2, 250, a bag of sugar D2, 600, a bag of onions D850 and a 20-litter gallon of cooking oil D1, 450.
Official data from the Ministry of Trade (as shown in chart below) shows a similar trend in price increase for basic commodities like rice between 2017 and 2021. Read more here from a previous Fact-Check.
How are Gambians Coping?
Ramatoulie Faye, a mother of three, said her family had to forgo the usual morning breakfast in order to ensure they have lunch and dinner – only two meals a day.
“Two years ago we used D400 as breakfast and for lunch and dinner,” she recalled. “Now, D400 is not enough to cater for three meals a day, what we do is we use the D400 as ‘fish money’ (for lunch and dinner) and forgo breakfast,” Faye said.
