{"id":75063,"date":"2025-03-08T08:25:10","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T08:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/as-prices-soar-serekunda-market-vendors-struggle-during-ramadan"},"modified":"2025-04-03T09:30:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T09:30:13","slug":"as-prices-soar-serekunda-market-vendors-struggle-during-ramadan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/as-prices-soar-serekunda-market-vendors-struggle-during-ramadan","title":{"rendered":"As Prices Soar, Serekunda Market Vendors Struggle during Ramadan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>As the holy month of Ramadan unfolds, vendors at Serekunda Market say they are grappling with soaring food prices that are making it increasingly difficult to sustain their businesses. Many are calling on the government to intervene, warning that the rising costs of staple goods are putting immense strain on both sellers and consumers.<\/b><\/p>\n

Binta SaidyKhan, a vendor at the market, said the economic challenges have been particularly pronounced this Ramadan. The high cost of foodstuffs, she said, has left many traders struggling to make ends meet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis market is very difficult during Ramadan. Our business is barely surviving,\u201d Ms. SaidyKhan said in an interview. \u201cImagine selling a basket of tomatoes for three days while still having to pay duty tax\u2014it\u2019s extremely challenging. We are exhausted. A bag of rice is nearly 3,000 dalasis now. The country is struggling, and I think it\u2019s time for change.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Mariama Jaiteh, another vendor, the downturn in sales has been stark. She said the slow-moving market is making it increasingly difficult to provide for her family.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur business is not working this Ramadan. It\u2019s very difficult,\u201d Ms. Jaiteh said. \u201cWe used to sell a bucket of fish in a day, but now it takes three. Every day, we worry about how we will survive. If we had someone to help us, it would make a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

The struggles extend beyond just a few vendors. Dembo Darboe, another trader at the market, said the rising cost of locally produced goods is outpacing even that of imports.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is expensive now, but what\u2019s worse is that locally produced goods are the most costly,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to have sympathy for each other and lower prices. We are also asking the government to recognize the struggles of market vendors and offer support. The rising cost of CFA currency is making matters worse, affecting the price of essential goods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some vendors attribute the price hikes to external factors, including foreign competition in key industries. Haddy Jassey, who sells fish, said the market is particularly tough this year due to increased costs, which she blames on the presence of Chinese fishing companies operating in Gambian waters.<\/p>\n

\u201cSelling fish in the market is very difficult this year,\u201d Ms. Jassey said. \u201cFish is expensive, and customers are buying less. I believe prices have gone up because of the Chinese fishing companies here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comparing this year\u2019s Ramadan to previous ones, vendors say the financial strain is becoming worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year\u2019s prices were better,\u201d said Jabou Sarjo, another trader. \u201cLast Ramadan, onions were selling for 1,300 dalasis per bag. This year, they\u2019re 1,600. Rice, sugar, and oil are all more expensive. The market is tough for women this year, and we need the government\u2019s help.\u201d<\/p>\n

With weeks still remaining in Ramadan, vendors say they fear conditions could deteriorate further, deepening hardships for both businesses and households.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. As the holy month of Ramadan unfolds, vendors at Serekunda Market say they are grappling with soaring food prices that are making it increasingly difficult to sustain their businesses. Many are calling on the government to intervene, warning that the rising costs of staple goods are putting immense strain on both sellers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":75062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-75063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nAs Prices Soar, Serekunda Market Vendors Struggle during Ramadan - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the holy month of Ramadan unfolds, vendors at Serekunda Market say they are grappling with soaring food prices tha ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/as-prices-soar-serekunda-market-vendors-struggle-during-ramadan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"As Prices Soar, Serekunda Market Vendors Struggle during Ramadan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As the holy month of Ramadan unfolds, vendors at Serekunda Market say they are grappling with soaring food prices tha ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/as-prices-soar-serekunda-market-vendors-struggle-during-ramadan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-08T08:25:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-03T09:30:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/sm_1741410438.248534.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/as-prices-soar-serekunda-market-vendors-struggle-during-ramadan#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/as-prices-soar-serekunda-market-vendors-struggle-during-ramadan\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"As Prices Soar, Serekunda Market Vendors Struggle during Ramadan\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-08T08:25:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-03T09:30:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/as-prices-soar-serekunda-market-vendors-struggle-during-ramadan\"},\"wordCount\":503,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/as-prices-soar-serekunda-market-vendors-struggle-during-ramadan#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/sm_1741410438.248534.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/as-prices-soar-serekunda-market-vendors-struggle-during-ramadan#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/as-prices-soar-serekunda-market-vendors-struggle-during-ramadan\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/as-prices-soar-serekunda-market-vendors-struggle-during-ramadan\",\"name\":\"As Prices Soar, Serekunda Market Vendors Struggle during Ramadan - 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