With parts of the country’s agricultural sector now seemingly recovering from the ravages of the recent flooding, there are signs that the country’s farmers have lost none of their pride in their earned reputation of being in possession of the food basket of the region. Charity, however, begins at home, and some farmers and sellers alike, from across the country, have resumed their accustomed weekly treks to far-flung communities to market their produce.
On Saturday, as a Stabroek Business team was heading to Linden to check on how farmers in the mining town were faring, we spotted one of a number of trucks that customarily make their way there to market a range of produce that includes vegetables, chicken, fish, and fruit. Azad Khan (he answers to the highly unusual sobriquet ‘Stop and Look’) and his wife Nadira had travelled from Paradise on the Essequibo Coast and were enroute to Linden to market their produce there.
Nadira told Stabroek Business that the couple customarily leaves the Essequibo Coast by ferry on Friday evenings and are ‘on the road’ until Monday evenings. For the most part, the couple purchases their ‘loads’ at the Charity and Anna Regina markets. Fish and chicken are then blast frozen then transferred to a fridge for their lengthy trek.
Fruit prices had “gone up,” Nadira told us. The impact of the recent floods on availability was still being felt. The couple had also opted not to buy any cassava this time around. At the prevailing prices it would not have been worth their while to do so.
When we spoke with Nadira and ‘Stop and Look’, they were making one of their customary stops on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway. Residents would ‘look out’ for them and would make regular purchases. On the journey between the Essequibo Coast they usually make designated ‘pit stops’ to ‘freshen up’ and sometimes, to rest. The contents of their truck include a slung hammock in the event of tiredness ‘on the road.’
It is what the couple has been doing for many years. Plying the Soesdyke/Linden and Coomacka routes was a choice dictated by considerations of financial gain.
There are no designated stops on the journey. If another Canter arrives at a location ahead of them they simply move on. They are, however, pleased that they have cultivated loyal customers who favour them.
Nadira appears to have cultivated a philosophical approach to the couple’s pursuit as traders. To succeed, she says, there has to be an acceptance that there will be good days and bad ones. Whatever a particular day brings, you soak it up and move on. Azad’s expression suggests that this is very much a shared philosophy.
