By Nyima Sillah
The Barrow-led government has been urged to address and regulate the rip off prices on basic food commodities like rice, sugar, oil and others in markets across the country.
Ousman Bah, a trader at the Serekunda market said he is perplexed to last week’s price hike on cooking oil saying there is serious price hike in the markets caused by vendors.
“Today i bought 20kg for D2, 250 and sale it in whole sale price of D2, 225 but yet still costumers complain that the price is still high,” he said.
He added: “People take advantage of the situation and give their own price which is not right. The only thing we need is for Gambia Bureau of Statistic to come on board and regulate the price of cooking oil in the country because it is one of the basic needs of many people in the country.”
Mariama Sarr, a vendor said: “vendors are selling cooking oil with different prices, adding: “I sell one cup for D15 because I bought 20kg for D2, 250 and that sale price is not favorable for my business”
According to her, their most be reason behind the sudden increase of cooking oil because so government should tell us what is happening. Vendors are confused because they don’t know the specific amount to sell which is making some to sell for D13 and other D12 depending on the amount they bought it.
For Aisha Njie: “ the past few months we experience lack of palm oil in the market but that can be understood that most of the palm oils are imported from Guinea and that country is going through a lot this time, but cooking oil no way the price should definitely be regulate at no cost or else consumers will suffer more than the vendors.”
She said the issue with Gambian government is that whenever a price is increase, legally or illegal it remains the same because they don’t act on time, adding that the government should work on price regulations of all the essential products in the market at all time.