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By a concerned Gambian
In the Gambia, bread has become an alternative staple food for the poor as well as the rice. No matter how poor one might be, a loaf of bread is always enough to satisfy one’s hunger. But this indispensable industry has now become the victim of baker/supplier cartel, controlling the wholesale prices even though the government of The Gambia determines the price at retail.
Gambian bakery owners have been suffering from rising inflation on bread inputs such as flour, yeast, improver, ice and fuel. As they watched their profit margin consumed by the high input cost, the bakery owners cried to the government for help. In consultation with the now defunct Gambia Bakers Union, the consumers, and the ministry of trade and industry, effective July 1st 2025, the government decided to increase the price of bread at the retail shops from D10 to D12; and wholesale price per dozen set from D85 to D120. This was done at the cabinet level in order to help the bakery owners improve their profit margins. The decision was a welcomed relief for bakers, who were not able to earn profit to cover rent and maintenance. Unfortunately, the supplier cartels saw an opportunity to force concessions from the bakeries in their favor through malign tricks.
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The Suppliers would go to one bakery owner and promise to increase the number of dozens they will order if he or she brings the wholesale price down. Once they succeed in convincing that bakery owner, they would go to another bakery claiming that the previous bakery has dropped its wholesale price down and then offer the same promise to the now target bakery. The Suppliers are able to get away with this deception because those who refuse to bring the wholesale price down ends up with no supplier. Often, the shopkeepers, most of whom are relatives of the suppliers would not accept bread supply from bakery owners.
As I write this report, the suppliers manage to force the wholesale price of bread from D120 to D100 per dozen, yet the price of a loaf of bread remain at D12. While the bakery owners resort to cheating the consumers by reducing the weight of the bread, the suppliers walk away with whopping D35 per dozen profits.
My question to the government, the consumers and the bakers is: what was the reason for increasing the bread price when the only entity benefiting from such increase is the suppliers? It is fair for the consumers to continue paying D12 per loaf of bread when neither they nor the bakers benefit from the increase. And to the government, what is the essence of a law when it can simply be ignored by the people?
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What the Government must do to prevent a looming bread crisis is to: Set a new fixed and enforceable wholesale price to D115 for suppliers at the bakeries
Ensure that suppliers cannot get away with price fixing and manipulation, ensure shopkeepers cannot create supplier monopoly and enforce the law.
If all fails, simply disband the supplier chain and return bread price back to D10.
Laws are meant to be adhered to and enforced, not simply ignored without consequences.
