By: Nicholas Bass
A group of Tanji-based women fishmongers are crying over the sharp rising cost of living and the hardship they continue to face due to the activities of Chinese’s fishing trawlers.
Speaking to the Voice Newspaper in an exclusive interview conducted on Monday, the women tried to paint a picture of the sorrowful state of life they live in and described what they saw as generally trying times of the country.
Isatou Jammeh, a fishmonger in Tanji and married in Tujereng Village explains the kind of hardship they encounter in their business. She says things are no longer easy considering the high cost of living faced by many people in the country. Mrs Jammeh points out that Chinese fishing trawlers are making matters worse for the folks who rely on local fishing. She decries that they encounter poor harvest of fish which according to her was due to Chinese’s trawlers who rake all the good catches and leaving the poor local fishermen with only small fishes. This funny situation, she continues, is contributing greatly to poor harvest of fish along coastal fishing centres.
She laments that usually fishermen come out with small fish, noting that such a poor harvest of fish compels fishermen to sell a basket of fish at D5,000 or to D9,000 depending on the type of fish. “Fishmongers are really suffering, this is why the price of fish is expensive,” she remarked.
According to her, President Adama Barrow hardly responds to their cries unlike former President Yahya Jammeh who she said used to intervene in such situations. She argued that Jammeh’s regime used to guard against high cost of living and helped out many families with their children schooling among other things.
She pleaded with the Barrow administration to intervene in Tanji Fishing Industry, urging the government to stop the Chinese fishing trawls which according to her is hindering Gambia’s fishing industry, making many jobless and causing high cost of fish in the local market.
Another fishmonger who talked to our reporter was Mama Ceesay who resides in Bakoteh and argued that the main reason why women voted for President Barrow was based on his promise of empowering women. She alleged that up-to-date Gambia Women were suffering with very little assistance from government.
Ceesay states that daily the hardship of women in Tanji fishing centre increases, lamenting that the presence of Chinese fishing trawlers in the nation’s river is making it difficult for the local fishermen to harvest fish.
However, Isatou Ngum, a native of Tujereng Village and fishmonger took a contrast view saying people should appreciate government’s efforts. She claims that there is no country with a cheaper cost of living compared to The Gambia.
“I cannot blame the government, for since ex-President Jawara’s regime, up-to-date I cannot fold my hands and say the government has to do something,’’ she remarked.