By: Dawda M. Jallow
Vendors at Brikama Market have raised alarm over the rising cost of food items, saying high input prices and currency pressures are squeezing their businesses and pushing essential commodities beyond the reach of many customers.
In an interview with The Voice on Monday, traders described a market gripped by frustration, with slow sales and growing tension between sellers and buyers.
Ma-Binta Jawneh, a tomato seller, says vendors are often blamed for price increases they cannot control. According to her, tomatoes spoil quickly, yet high costs make them difficult to sell on time.
“Sometimes it takes days to sell a pan of tomatoes,” she said. “Customers think we are the ones increasing prices, but fertilizers, seeds, and other farming inputs are expensive, and that affects everything.”
She called on the government to intervene, particularly on the rising cost of farm inputs, which she said was forcing gardeners to pass the burden down the supply chain.
Another vendor, Ramatoulie Jallow, said Brikama Market served as a major trading centre for people from different parts of the country, leaving traders with little room to set prices independently.
“We buy our goods at high prices, and we have no choice but to sell them higher,” she said. “We are in business to survive, not to exploit people.”
She added that traders pay taxes daily and deserve to have their concerns acknowledged by the authorities.
From the customer’s side, Jainaba Sillah from Farato said the rising cost of food was taking a heavy toll on households, especially with Ramadan approaching.
“Fish, meat, vegetables—everything is expensive,” she said.
“You come to the market with money, but you leave stressed because you cannot buy what you planned.”
She urged the government to regulate prices and improve coordination between gardeners and vendors, describing farm-gate pricing as a major driver of market costs.
“Once prices go up from the gardeners, vendors have no choice,” she remarked.
“This country belongs to all of us, and we need to support each other because life is hard.”
Ousman Dem, another vendor, pointed to the impact of the CFA Franc on the local Dalasi, noting that many products sold in Brikama were sourced from Senegal.
“When the CFA is high, the dalasi suffers, and prices go up automatically,” he said, adding that economic hardship is pushing some youths to consider irregular migration.
Despite the challenges, vendors said they remained hopeful but called on the government to urgently address currency pressures, farming input costs, and market conditions.
Other traders interviewed echoed similar concerns, warning that without intervention, both vendors and consumers will continue to bear the brunt of rising prices.