Rice is the staple food of The Gambia, hence signs of an impending scarcity of this precious grain would surely rock the nation and rattle nerves.
Apart from the skyrocketing of the price of rice that hit the country in recent days, rumours have been rife in town that in the not too distant future there would be scarcity of rice which will result in many families hoarding the commodity for fear of a possible crisis.
The poor who cannot afford to reserve abundant stocks are left in the mercy of God.
Of course it is no surprise that President Jammeh sent a stern warning to businessmen to desist from selling rice at D1, 000 or risk going to jail. However in a Press Release carried in our today's edition, two leading importers of rice Shyben A. Madi & Sons and George Banna Ltd have assured the general public that there is no need for panic as there are adequate stocks of the cereal in the country and more quantities were expected.
Not only would the duo assure sufficient stocks, they also have assured the general public that they will spare no efforts to keep prices at the lowest possible levels. While we commend the two business entities for their invaluable support to the Gambian people, we would however advise that people change their attitude of cooking more food than can be possibly consumed by the family, and thereby creating a lot of unnecessary wastage.
'Food is an important part of a balanced diet'
Fran Lebowitz
