Vendors at the Tanji Beach
By Buba Gagigo
Fishmongers in Tanji and Gunjur villages in the West Coast Region have ceased their business operations effective July 1, 2024, due to a dispute with ice sellers over a price increase from D100 to D150 per ice bag.
When Kerr Fatou visited on Wednesday to investigate, the fishmongers in both Tanji and Gunjur expressed that the new prices were detrimental to their businesses.
“The ice sellers raised the price to one hundred and fifty Dalasis, citing that NAWEC imposed a maximum demand on them. They approached NAWEC and PURA for clarification, only to be informed that NAWEC would uphold the meter readings, leading to the price hike from D100 to D150 per bag of ice. Vehicle owners expressed their inability to purchase a bag of ice for D150 and suggested a price of D120 instead, which the ice sellers declined. A conflict arose yesterday among the ice sellers when one of them sold ice for D120, prompting others to intervene and prevent her from selling at that price. Today, on Wednesday, July 3rd, a vehicle owner purchased ice for a D150 but was compelled by other vehicle owners to return it. At this point, we believe that only the Ministry of Fisheries can resolve this issue,” stated Lamin Bojang, the Chairman of the Tanji Fishermen Committee.
Janko Marong, a driver who sells fish in the Provinces, expressed his frustration: “This has created a lot of challenges for us. As a driver transporting fish to the Provinces, the cost of ice at D150 is unsustainable. The ice sellers decided to raise the price to D150 because NAWEC increased their meter prices by fifty percent. We told them this was too high and would eliminate our profits, but they remain firm on maintaining that price. In response, we’ve decided not to buy ice at that rate. We began our protest today, and we urge NAWEC to reduce electricity prices to resolve this issue.”
Another fishmonger in Tanji, Fatou Bayo, shared her concerns:
“The problem is really affecting us because, without ice, we cannot sell. It is crucial for our business. We’ve all stopped buying fish now because they want to keep the fish price at D150, which doesn’t work for us. Some boats have even stopped going out to fish because, if they do, they won’t have buyers for their catch. We’ve told them we can’t buy their fish because we can’t afford fish without ice. The price increase is just too much. We used to buy ice at D75 to D80, then it went up to D100, and we still managed. But now it’s D150, and that’s beyond our means. Fish is already very expensive; we can’t afford to pay high prices for both fish and ice.”
After speaking with fishmongers in Tanji, Kerr Fatou visited Gunjur village and found the same situation. Almameh Sonko, President of the Fishmongers Union, told Kerr Fatou that they had two meetings with the ice sellers, but the sellers refused to lower the price.
“They informed us that they will increase their price to D150. We initially attempted to arrange a meeting with them, but they declined. On our second request for a meeting, they finally accepted. During the meeting, we discussed the price increase, and they promised to get back to us. Last Friday, they called us for a meeting in Tanji, but we couldn’t agree on terms as they refused to reduce the price.
“We offered them D120, and some of us even offered D125, but they insisted that D150 was their final price. We are not on strike, but we cannot accept this. Even the D100 we were previously paying sometimes made it difficult to turn a profit. If we start buying at D150, it would be unsustainable. Therefore, we have asked all vehicle owners to stop buying because the price is too high, and we will not purchase their ice until they lower the price.”
Amadou Joof and Edrissa Samba, both fishmongers in Gunjur, expressed their disappointment over the price increase.
Ba Seedy Ceesay, an ice seller in Tanji village, explained that they raised the price of their ice because NAWEC implemented a new rule requiring every ice plant to install a maximum demand meter, which he says is costing them a lot of money.
“When NAWEC first raised electricity prices, we adjusted our ice prices to D120. However, some ice sellers boycotted this and continued selling at D100. Despite managing under these conditions, we were operating at a loss. Recently, NAWEC implemented a new rule requiring all ice plants to have a maximum demand meter. This poses a significant challenge because it’s impossible to buy electricity and sell ice without incurring losses.
“We tried to balance it, but it didn’t work, so we had no choice but to increase our prices due to the forty percent rise in costs from the new meter. If we sold ice at D140, we wouldn’t break even. So, we increased the price by D10 to D150 per bag to cover expenses, including staff salaries and family support. Despite some fish sellers striking and returning ice bought at D150, there are still customers paying the new price. The D100 price had been unchanged for over 20 years,” he explained.
The fishmongers have collectively decided not to purchase ice unless the price is reduced. Conversely, the ice sellers have unanimously agreed not to sell ice for less than D150 per bag.
The fishmongers also informed Kerr Fatou that this situation is impacting all fishing areas across the Gambia.