By Makutu Manneh
Residents of Kanifing Municipality are worried about the continuous increase in prices of basic food items like rice, sugar, onions, and cooking oil. The rising costs are making it harder for families to afford their daily meals.
At Bakoteh Market, shoppers say prices keep going up every day. Fatou Cham said, “You buy something today, and tomorrow the price is higher. When we ask shopkeepers why, they say importers raised their prices.”
Ms. Cham added that because of these price hikes, her family now eats only two meals a day instead of three.
Nyimasata Saidy, another shopper, said there is no control over prices in the market. “Even vegetables grown locally change price every day,” she said.
Many people said the rising prices are stressful, especially for those supporting large families. Abdoulie Touray urged the government to find a way to fix prices and help families afford food.
Current prices at the market include: a 50-kilogram bag of American rice costs D2,150; Jabou rice sells for D2,500; sugar costs between D2,400 and D2,500 per bag; yellow onions cost about D1,000 per bag; red onions D750; and a gallon of cooking oil sells for between D2,150 and D2,800.
The price increases are mainly blamed on the falling value of the Gambian Dalasi against foreign currencies.
