Market is very expensive-consumers

Consumers who went to the markets over the past few days, have expressed dissatisfaction over the way prices of goods have gone up.
They state that the market has become very expensive.
This was observed when our reporter went to the Kissy Road Market to sought the views of consumers and traders. Isatu Turay said that the weeks before election, she used to spend Fifteen Thousand Leones (Le15,000) in the market adding that after the election now, she is using Twenty Five Thousand Leones (Le25,000).
She states that her husbands salary is just Three Hundred Thousand (LE300,000) a month ‘so how can we survive? That is why corruption is on the increase because people are living above their salaries.’
She said pepper which was sold for One Thousand Leones (Le 1000) is now Two Thousand Five Hundred Leones (Le 2,500) adding that palm oil sold for One Thousand Eight Hundred Leones (Le1,800) is now Two Thousand Five Hundred Leones (Le 2,500).
Another housewife, Alimatu Dumbuya said she has not cooked pepper for the past three days because she cannotfind pepper for Five Hundred Leones (Le500) which used to buy in the past to cook.
Ayodele Cole said that for the past three days, she had been cooking soup without vegetables because they are now expensive and scarce. Memunatu Sesay, a trader at the Kissy Road Market (Salad ground) said goods are expensive because retailers are afraid to travel because of security reasons.
Sesay explained to Awoko, that before the elections, wholesalers usually go to the provinces to purchase goods but because of the elections security threat, they are afraid to travel to buy palm oil, pepper, vegetables and other commodities.
She said a five Gallon palm oil that was sold for Ninety Three Thousand Leones (Le 93,000) before the elections is now sold for One Hundred and Twenty Six Thousand (Le126,000) adding that pepper that was sold for Two Hundred Thousand Leones (Le 200,000) before the election, is now sold for Three Hundred and Ten Thousand Leones (Le 310,000).
Sesay said the only thing she can recall, that has remained at a fixed price, is rice and cooking oil, stating that all the others have added prices.
Sesay said even the traders are grumbling because of this crisis as the buyers are thinking that they just want to make things difficult for them.
She appealled to Dr. Christiana Thorpe the National Electoral Commissioner to announce the results as early as possible, so that business will run smoothly again and the country’s security situation will stop frightening traders.
By Emmanuella Kallon