By: Alusine Rehme Wilson
As the effects of COVID-19 and the Ukraine-Russia Cold War continues to ravage the economies of other nations especially low income and developing countries across the globe, Sierra Leone is among the bald hit nations whose economic recovery now needs an urgent rebirth.
It is evident that the twin global misnomer have not only succeed to adding flames to the high level of unemployment in the country but have also given raise to alarming rate of lawlessness as seen in contemporary occurrences in some parts of the country including Freetown, Makeni among others.
In addendum to these seemingly hard to beat challenges the West African nations is experiencing and battling with, there is also wild rate of hike in the prices of basic commodities especially food stuff which some traders have allegedly “is as a result of the rapid increases in the pump prices of petroleum products in the country.”
While out and about on routine facts findings and News hunting, I was left shocked on Saturday afternoon while touring the main market of Makeni city and some makeshift mini markets as well as retailing shops and stores in the outskirts of the northeastern Regional city’s municipality, after listening to the responses from some retailers and consumers whom I interviewed about the frequent hike in the price of “Gari” one of the mostly sought after locally produced commodities.
A number of the retailer traders acknowledged that the price of a 50kg bag of “Gari” has been hiked more than five times since 2017, explaining they “previously buy a 50kg bag of “Gari” some five years ago between the price range of NLe 200 to 250 Leones depending on the quality but that the price has since not stopped flowing higher at least in every six month since then.
Continued that: “As of June this year, we’ve been buying a 50kg bag of “Gari” between the price range of NLe 460 to 510 Leones.”
Adding, “the price of a cup of “Gari” has also been changing accordingly as to their buying price of a 50kg bag of “Gari” from wholesalers.
Madam Salamatu Koroma, said for over 10 years now, retailing “Gari” at Makeni’s savage square near the main market is what she is famous for. Recalling “she previously sells a cup of “Gari” at Five Hundred Leones(Le 500), the Le 1,000, two cup at Le 2,500 in the old notes but now sell it at Le 1,500 and Le 2,000 equivalent in the new Leones to 1.5 cents and 2 Leones, to other retailers and consumers respectively.”
This according to her “is because of the mass exportation of “Gari” to neighboring Guinea and beyond by wholesalers who prefer to sell the product in large scales outside the country for the purpose of making more profit ignoring that their desire to seek god more profits in foreign markets has caused artificial scarcity of the product most times thus resorting to the frequent hike in the price of the few available product in the local market.”
Other traders gave similar accounts of Madam Koroma’s explanations and some of the consumers I met at some of the business squares I visited who opted to be interviewed, told me they’re “aware of the global crises but expressed great concerns over the hike in price of “Gari” that is produced locally and happens to be one of their most cherished foods after rice which is the staple food in the country.
“A 50kg bag of Gari we’ve learned now equals the price of a 50k bag of rice, this is worrisome, especially now that a cup of is 3 Leones or more.
“We’re only pleading with urgency that you also help us to call on the Government, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Local Content Agency, the Produce Marketing Board, the Sierra Leone Standard Bureau and related state and private actors to immediately come to our aid and help to stabilize the price of commodities in the market, invest in local content farming to increase the sufficiency and cost effectiveness of local products in the market, especially “our most cherished Gari,” they beseeched.
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