By: Binta Jaiteh
As theTobaski feast fast approaches, dozens of ram vendors have expressed deepconcern over the high CFA exchange rate.
The vendors also expressed dissatisfaction over the order from the government for them to vacate their roadside selling and buying points. The selling and buying points, they said, offered them the unique opportunity to display their rams to potential buyers.
Ram seller Basaikou Dampha explained to The Voice how Operation Clean the Roadnegatively impacted his business and otherbusinesses along the Bertil Harding Highway.
He lamented that most of the affected vendors have been struggling to put food on the table for their families
“If we vacate here, where does the government expect us to sell, especially now that customers are well aware of our presence here?” he wondered.
He appealed to the government to give them breathing space until after Tobaski.
Mr. Dampha described the situation as worrisome, adding that they were in an uncertainty as to what next they could do. The vacation order, he explained, has never been heard of in the past years, saying that it could not come at a worse time.
Saibo Conteh, another ram vendor at Sukuta-Jabang Traffic Light, predicted a tough business climate for ram vendors this year, especially as regards the price of rams.
He opined that the government should empower the youths and avoid discouraging them.
“We struggle a lot to buy rams, sell them, and feed our families from that money we make,” he stressed.
Ram vendor Omar Gaye explained how he struggled to buy rams from Senegal to resell them in The Gambia which, he said, is “quite challenging”.
“We spend the whole night watching overour rams because the bandits are around watching. Customers should understand that the expenses we incur are too much and we also have to make a profit,” he explained.
Ram vendor Ousman Jeng pointed out that business was “very” slow even though they started early, noting that the cheapest ramprice this year is D19,000. The price, he added, was a result of many factors.
He, however, said that they were making efforts to reduce the price so that everyone could have a ram for the feast.
