Meat hangh Dad?? The President of Gambia had to be consulted for the availability of meat at the right price????? I think everyone who fasts in Ramadan should swear off meat. Break your fast veagan-style! Are those meat tested before sale and distribution????? Haruna. I want Foroyaa to go back to Yahya to find out. If the price of meat is exhorbitant this time of year because of new pasture, why don't we friggin move Ramadan to mature pasture time????? This man at the abbatoir wants to play with us. -----Original Message----- From: Modou Nyang <[log in to unmask]> To: GAMBIA-L <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Sat, Aug 14, 2010 6:24 pm Subject: Foroyaa News: MEAT STILL SCARCE Livestock Agency Promises To Supply Meat As From Today MEAT STILL SCARCE Livestock Agency Promises To Supply Meat As From Today By Lamin Sanyang Following the publication of the views of butchers and the Gambia Livestock Marketing Agency about the scarcity of meat, this reporter was assigned yesterday morning to go to Serrekunda, Latrikunda and Abuko Markets to find out the latest development about the availability of meat. The situation still remained the same. Meat is still scarce in the markets. This reporter went back to the Gambia Livestock Marketing Agency (GLMA) to find out what had happened. The Director General of the GLMA, Dr. Demba Jallow was contacted. He said that they had a meeting with the President last Wednesday. He said the GLMA had an agreement with the Central Abattoir whereby the Central Abattoir will be buying from GLMA and slaughter and distribute to the butchers in the Greater Banjul Area. Dr. Jallow said that because of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan the president is offering a cheap price to Gambians to enable the people to consume meat during the Ramadan. He said “During the Ramadan period the president said he will be buying from us and selling meat and bone at D50 per kilo while a kilo of beef steak will be D70 effective Friday (that is today).” He said the meat will be available at the KMC Headquarters, Abuko, Bakau, Bakoteh, Tabokoto and Manjai markets. He said this is only for the Ramadan. Dr. Jallow said that the ‘official prices’ of meat, that is, D60 a kilo for meat and bone and D80 a kilo for beef steak will stand after the Ramadan. However, he said “There is no imposition of prices. The consumers have the right of choice to buy from wherever they want,” he noted. He also said that in the same vein the president has reduced the price of his bread from D5 to D3.50 in observance of the Ramadan. The reporter asked him about the sale of meat in Brikama. He said that the Western Region Governor was not present at the meeting. But he added that if the governor makes a demand it will be given to them. Talking to a local cattle dealer at Abuko named Hamidou Jallow, he said that he has been in the cattle business for more than 20 years. He said cattle has no fixed price. He posited that the issue is simple; since the authorities said that they went to Mbirkilan, Dara Jollor and all these other places to buy cattle, let them sell at the same prices that they impose on the butchers. He said if this is something that would continue then the people will know whether the dealers and butchers were exploiting them or not. Hamidou said that the butchers cannot afford to buy cattle. He said the dealers are the ones who would credit them to sell and refund the money. He said in Senegal where they bought the cattle they are selling a kilo of meat and bone at CFA 2000 and a kilo beef steak at CFA 2500. He said the market is not good nowadays. He said no single person can buy cattle on their own. He said they normally contribute to buy a cattle. He said sometimes it would be five people who would join to buy a cattle and would share the profit. Hamidou continued to talk about the condition of the dealers. He said, “The truth is only one and nobody can control it because the truth belongs to god alone.” He said there was a man who said that he can sell meat at D60 for a kilo and was given cattle to sell at that price but became bankrupt. He said what the people should realise is that at the time of the year when the grass starts to grow cattle become scarce in the market. He said during this time of the year prices of cattle are high. Meanwhile other reporters went up and about to find out the sale and availability of meat. Meat Still A Problem In Lamin And Brikama By Kebba Camara Until the time of going to press, there was no meat available at the Lamin market and only a limited supply at Brikama. This reporter visited the two markets yesterday and found that reality. When he reached the Lamin market he found all the butchers seated at their stalls without making any sales. When this reporter enquired why they told him that a bull is very expensive and normally when they buy a bull and resell it they don’t make profit. One of the butchers told this reporter that he made a loss of about D1,950 for the last bull he sold, which is equivalent to his personal expenses for at least two weeks. The butchers observed that if the sellers or dealers of cattle do not reduce the price and the selling price of the butchers per kilo remains the same then they will not be able to sell meat at profitable prices and would therefore be driven from the market. In Brikama most stalls were without meat. Most butchers told this reporter that due to the scarcity, meat got finished early in morning. This reporter observed that since few butchers were selling meat yesterday at the Brikama market buyers were scrambling to buy meat. Scarcity of Meat Still at Banjul and Latrikunda Yiringanya By Madiba Singhateh This reporter went to the market to inquire into the availability of meat as mentioned by the Gambia Livestock Marketing Agency that meat will be available on Thursday 13th August 2010. This reporter first went to the Banjul Market, where he found empty meat stalls. Buyers could be seen roaming with no meat to buy, only two vendors could be seen selling liver not meat. When this reporter asked them about meat the sellers told him that there is no meat, only chicken legs, and when this reporter asked for the price he was told D50 per kilo. This reporter went around the area but could only see shrimps and fish on sale in place of meat. From there this reporter proceeded to Serekunda, where he found three butchers selling meat and buyers scrambling for meat and bone for D60 per kilo. Other butchers sold other parts such as the limbs of the cows as they did not have proper meat. Proceeding to Latrikunda Yiringanya Market this reporter found empty stalls. At a point between Africell and Comium a vendor was selling meat, when the reporter asked him about meat, he said he only had goat meat and mutton, but not beef. Editor’s Note The reporters will continue to monitor the markets to find out what obtains regarding the availability and prices of meat. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤