These challenges, which pose serious nightmares to these women, includes high cost of transportation of goods to the market, lack of price control, double payment of duties, among others.
Therefore, the women called on the Government of The Gambia and relevant stakeholders to come forth and address some of these challenges.
Mariama Saho, a resident of Sukuta and vendor at the Serrekunda market, said that high cost of vegetable is as result of the increased in price of fertilizer, further appealing to government to reduce the price of fertilizer.
Saho also observed that transportation is major challenge to the growth of their business.
“I travel to and from Sukuta to Serrekunda market every day to sell my vegetables. I pay transport fares for myself and vegetables which is very costly,” she explained.
She like other vegetable vendors bought their vegetables from peri-urban women farmers and then transport these goods to the Kombos.
According to her, they pay duties at both ends, saying they pay double duties on the same goods, something that should not be.
“With this high cost of transportation and double duty payments we are barely left with no profit at the end.” she lamented.
Fatoumatta Jaiteh, another vegetable vendor at the Serrekunda market, expressed similar sentiments.
She explained that a business can never be healthy when one is spending more and what he/she gains.
“We have no option than to bear and hope for the best some day knowing that we have to put food on our families’ tables every day,” she said.
She noted that women go through a lot of difficulties in the market amid high cost of living.
She thus urged government to implement price control mechanism as well as other measures to help women vendors by empowering them in their respective businesses.
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