As bread shortage in Gunjur and most parts of The Gambia bites harder, Gunjurians are now looking for alternatives and Pancakes seem to be the best alternative for now. While so many complain about the refusal of bakers to bake bread, it has opened the eyes of many on the need for Gambians to learn skills and venture into businesses dominated by foreign investors .
Adama Ba Sanyang making more pancakes as demand increases due to shortage of bread in Gunjur Speaking to Gunjur News Online, Isatou Touray a market vendor at the Gunjur Central Market called on people to go back to the land and engage in subsistence farming and grow what they eat which will address the hunger and food shortages facing most families. Her words: "we used to grow everything we ate back in the days and the daily breakfast was porridge which is very healthy. Going back to the farm and acquiring skills is the solution as this will put food on the table of most families than the shameful dependency we see in our society today". Adama Baa Sanyang, a prominent businesswoman who has been selling food in Gunjur for over 25 years added that she had a great and profitable sale as people line up to buy pancakes instead of bread.
"I am very happy today. I am doing a good business and making good money like never before. I am doing my second round of making pancakes in one day because my initial production could not meet demand because there is no bread in the town." The veteran business woman concluded.
Gambia is gripped with widespread bread shortage as bakers go on strike over the price of a loaf of bread. The bread bakers were earlier encouraged by the Trade ministry to consider reducing the price of bread to make it more affordable for the consumers. However, the bakers could not agree with this citing high cost of flour.
Writing on the bread shortage on his Facebook page, Lamin Jassey, the Secretary General and CEO of Gambia Football Federation wondered: "So, bakers are also on strike. Chei! Gambians and their new found democracy and freedom".
He also quoted a follower who added that: "Government should set up State run bakeries and employ jobless Youth in country. By doing this the price of bread will be fixed at D6, or even less since state run bakeries will compete with the private ones”.