By Fatoumatta J Camara &
Fatoumatta Baldeh
Merchants have joined market vendors to express their frustration with the economic hardship facing as they struggle to make headways and remain in businesses that put food on their tables, especially since the start of the ongoing demolitions of the extension and illegal constructions which is not only at the Serrekunda market but countrywide.
About 98% of these vendors divulged that they are struggling to make sales or even where to stay to sell their goods due to the demolitions and it has hampered their businesses, and livelihood and exposed them to hardship.
Gauging the opinion of some of these vendors that are standing and roaming stalls at the Serrekunda market for places to stand and sell, Naffie Saidykhan, a smoked fish seller/distributor said now fish become more expensive because fish vendors that their customers have no places to sell. “So few fish they bring to the market get expensive and customers are not buying from inside market frequently like they used to buy from roadsides and canters before the demolition exercise. And also the prices are exorbitant,” she added.
In her thoughts, she alleged that the price of fish is going up every time probably because of the foreign fish merchants that is fishing in the River Gambia for fishing.
Amie Sonko, a fish seller said there are different prices for different fish sometimes she said they sell bonga fish at the rate of fifty Dalasis, twenty-five dalasi, or one hundred dalasi, and so on.
“Anyway, we face lots of challenges, especially these days and this is attached to the demolition exercise. Sometimes we cannot get enough fish to sell and fishermen are complaining of low sales that they bring fish but some of the fish vendors will not buy because of no place to sell.”
Ousman Dahaba, a businessman selling different ingredients onions, and cooking oils, among other condiments gave different prices of what he is selling while alluding to the suffering they are facing which is not limited to only one sect of vendors.
Dankunku Komma sells vegetables like okra and sorrel, he said when they harvest their products they still find it very difficult to sell while pricing is another major problem for them.
