The meeting of stakeholders in the livestock industry could not have come at a better time than this when the Muslim Umma, including The Gambia, is preparing to observe the holy month of Ramadan.
The meeting, we are told, was meant to discuss the hike in the prices of basic commodities and the acute shortage of meat in the market.
Ramadan is a period of supplication and repentance for one’s sins. It is also a period when the rich and the fortunate should extend largesse and sympathy to the poor and the less privileged in society.
One should, therefore, do all one can to share and care for those who are not privileged to have their daily meals on the table.
In the words of Permanent Secretary Amadou Sowe, butchers and dealers in the livestock industry should uphold the good name of their profession by continuing to provide affordable prices for commodities, and to avoid creating the impression that meat is scare in the country.
It is unfortunate that some businesspeople who are hell bent on profiteering at the expense of the consumers inflate the prices of these basic commodities, when demand increases during the month of Ramadan.
While concern has not only been raised over the escalating prices of meat, the price of sugar that continued to soar during the last couple of months has also been met with critical appraisal from all corners.
Sugar during the Ramadan is highly consumed, because it's being used during early morning and evening meals, when believers use it to break their fast with tea or its substitutes.
We, therefore, urge the concerned authorities to intervene to bring this situation under control, before the burden would be passed down onto the final consumers.
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