Up to the end of last year, research had found that as a result of COVID-19 prices of food and other items in Guyana had increased while the available quantities have decreased. The first quarter of 2021 has seen this trend continue as the pandemic’s impact on production and shipping prices becomes more pronounced, according to April reports from Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNTAD).
“Most noticeable among the effects is that for both food and non-food markets, prices were increased. Approximately 70.8% and 63.7% of the respondents said this about food markets and non-food markets respectively. Next in line is a decrease in the quantity of the products which was cited by 21.5% and 13.3% for food and non-food items respectively. The third observation is that approximately 15.1% and 13.2% respectively of the respondents indicated that some food and non-food items are no longer available altogether,” a December 31,2020 United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) report, titled Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 on Households in Guyana, stated.