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toubab1020
12311 Posts |
 Posted - 05 Nov 2011 : 12:17:32
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Is there any thought being given to the future sustainability of food for the Gambian people in the future? other that H.E.'s back to the land idea,which has taken a back seat at the moment,conservation of fish stocks for instance which are being depleted by the day in Gambian waters by BIG commercial enterprises from outside Gambia, leaving local fishermen with a problem.
http://dailynews.gm/africa/gambia/article/basse-settles-for-kudey-amid-high-cost-of-meat
Basse Settles for ‘Kudey’ Amid High Cost of Meat
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Surrounded by a demanding crowd of potentials buyers, Momodou Dam, 36, a meat vendor at Basse market carefully drops cutlets of meat he had chopped up into thinner sizes, on a scale.
He weights up a kilo of meat on the scale, group the cutlets that makes up a kilo and placed them on his counter, in anticipation of a buyer. Yet, no one makes an offer.
A kilo of steak in Basse town, the administrative and financial centre of rural Upper River region of Gambia costs D100.00, whilst meat and bone is sold at D80.
But in this rural community where the people are predominantly subsistence farmers, buying a kilo of meat, for many, is a matter of choice between having something nutritious just for a day and starve for a whole week or keeping the meal modest.
“I have not eaten meat since after the last Koriteh feast – over a month ago – because it is expensive,” says Mr Ebrima Sanneh, 48, a farmer.
A husband of two and a father of three boys and two school going girls, Mr Sanneh often buys bonga fish for his inexpensive, but often convenient meal.
This is a choice not peculiar to Mr Sanneh and the people of Basse. Rather it is common in sub-Saharan African where fish and fish products are one of the most important sources of nutrition.
According to Malasia based World Fish Center, almost 30 percent of the 690 million people in sub-Saharan Africa rely on fish as the main part of their diet.
Although fish is cheaper, offers essential vitamins and minerals, and scientifically proven healthier and heartier diet than meat, yet people like Mr Sanneh longs for meat and strongly prefers it over fish.
However, with the steady rise in the prices of basic commodities, including meat, in the past several years in The Gambia when income levels remain low, Mr Sanneh had been forced to stick to eating fish.
But as Mr Dam, the butcher carves up a kilo of meat into a number of smaller heaps, selling them for D10 dalasi each, Mr Sanneh eagerly looks on and finally offered to buy a few heaps.
“You can see I only buy four “kudey” for D40 because I can’t afford to buy a kilo for D100,” he says. “It is not enough, but it would at least do my family some good.”
Apparently, the proverbial half-a-loaf is better than none is working well in Basse for both the consumers and the vendors of meat. This thin heap of meat called ‘Kudey’ in local Mandinka language is now very popular.
“We have no choice, but to do this because the people here cannot offer D100.00 for a kilo of meat neither can we keep our meat with us forever,” says butcher Momodou Dam.
Author: Ousman Touray in URR
NOW READ ABOUT FISH
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1533125/All-seafood-will-run-out-in-2050-say-scientists.html
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 05 Nov 2011 12:24:00 |
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