By: Momodou Justice Darboe
The cement shortage that many parts of the country had been experiencing for almost a week has worsened, this medium can report.
For more than a fortnight ago, more than 30 trucks have been denied entry into The Gambia at the Kerr Ayip-Farafenni side of the Gambia-Senegal border due to the exorbitant rise in levy on cement from Senegal.
The Gambia government has whoppingly increased the levy on a bag of Senegal-imported cement from D30 to D180.
The struggling cement importers said the new cement tariff has the potential to significantly increase the retail price of cement or send them out of business.
The Gambia government officials have been quoted as saying that the move to up the cement levy was informed by the need to protect local cement producers.
A few days into the standoff between importers of cement from Senegal and the Gambia government, acute cement shortages were reported in several parts of The Gambia.
The latest reports reaching The Voice painted a picture of excruciating cement scarcity in many parts of the country.
Jah Oil Company on Saturday started discharging its vessel of cement that was docked at the Banjul Port almost a week ago.
The company’s managing director Momodou Hydaraexplained to this reporter on Sunday that the reported cement scarcity would be tamed before Tuesday as the many trucks that were lining up at their factory have started pulling out with their cargo of cement to various destinations.
He expressed the hope that if the trend continued as it was, the cement market would be fully replenished.
“But why do we have to wait for Jah Oil’s vessel to come this week when we have 30 stranded trucks just across the border in Keur Ayip for two weeks now? If Jah Oil Company is indeed a factory, it should not wait for a vessel of imported cement,” Farafenni-based cement dealer Alhagie Touray said when contacted by this medium on Saturday about the cement shortage in his neck of the wood. Touray, also a member of the Cement Importers Association of The Gambia (CITA), added: “If you are a factory, why wait for a vessel? For one week, there was no cement here. A cement manufacturer has nothing to do with imported cement. It’s ironic because in Senegal, neither Dangote nor Soccocim do that. There is no cement factory here. If they have a factory, let them produce. There has been a cement shortage in the country for almost a week now. Why? Currently, the retail price of cement in parts of the Greater Banjul Area is D450. It was D380 before the levy increase. I think the price should be cheaper if we are producing cement here.”
Meanwhile, Jah Oil’s Hydara said his company is involved in cement production, adding that some people do not understand what production exactly entails.
He pointed out that Jah Oil’s non-involvement at all stages of cement production does not imply that it’s not involved in cement manufacture.
He explained that the definition of production must be clearly understood before people can talk about it.
Mr. Hydara pointed out that his company’s decision to be at the other end of cement production was to ensure affordability and accessibility.
“If we want to start production from scratch, cement is going to be very expensive for the consumers. We do the packaging and other processes here, which is of course a standard practice even in the United States of America,” he stated.
He pointed out that Jah Oil Company’s business model is informed by the need to protect consumers.
At the time of writing this story, many parts of The Gambia were experiencing acute cement shortages.
