Stabroek News on Wednesday spoke to members of the public on the East Bank of Demerara generally about the rising cost of living and how it is affecting them. Their comments follow:
Fazia Khan
Fazia Khan, a fruit vendor: ‘Basically everything has raised in the market and almost my entire household started to work. As a fruit vendor consumers have been complaining about the rise in fruit prices. For example, the grapes for the past few months when I started working with the fruit shop were sold at $1200 a lb and currently it is sold for $1300 a lb. A wholesaler that buy grapes to sell back said, grapes gone up by $200, and he had to add on an extra on his grapes when selling back. Also, some consumers can’t afford to buy a whole watermelon. Watermelon is sold for $200 a slice according to how we weigh it, and people prefer that over buying a whole watermelon… consumers wouldn’t want to buy the whole one because it’s expensive, and they cannot afford it. The weight determines the prices of watermelon being sold for, for instances, $1400 for 7 lbs watermelon etc. The government should be able to provide us with the things we need and whatever resources we have in Guyana, it should come back into the country to benefit the people of Guyana. The government should pay a little more attention to that.’
Suresh Hardowar
Suresh Hardowar, labourer: ‘The cost of living is affecting me since everything is expensive. I can’t really complain about the government because they are doing a lot of good at the moment. Every time I take money out of my pocket to buy groceries I can’t seem to save anything, For instance, the Natura normal size package milk a few months ago cost $440 and 460, now it is being sold for $600 and $700 for the same package milk… and for me I’m a family person with two children, I’m paying child support for one child and I work for $30,000 a week with no other support… the money isn’t doing nothing, my wall at home is falling and I can’t do any repairs to it because the cost of living is very high. I work Sunday to Sunday but I’m still finding difficulties with the cost of living, things are hard. The government should lower the prices on commodities in the market so the cost of living can be affordable.’
Alvin Bacchus
Alvin Bacchus: ‘Well cost of living gone up, everything raise, you can’t blame the government because everything raised worldwide as well. The least you can do is live with it because there’s nothing you can do about it. I’m a person that likes going to the market to buy my own vegetables, and what I’m seeing, for instance, $1000 for 5 boulanger, and for the past few months, it was sold at $300 for 4 boulanger…then you have a lb of eschallot for $1000 now, past few months ago it was $300 a lb. Even squash gone up, currently it is being sold for $800. I can’t do anything but the main thing is that I’m working. I would glad though, if the government can reduce some of the prices for commodities so they can help the Guyanese people out… assist the farmers so the pesticides can be cheaper.’
Rebecca Sukhu
Rebecca Sukhu: ‘The prices of groceries in the market are very high, and that makes it hard especially, when one person is working in a family to support, and make sure family members benefit from income earned. I’m now working to help my husband because my husband’s salary can’t support and benefit my family alone…even that didn’t help because the cost of living is still high. I can’t afford to buy groceries like before. For instance, a big package flour was 4 something a few month back in the supermarket, currently the supermarket has it for $800. My husband works Sunday to Sunday but still groceries are high. The government should see how they can drop the prices for groceries in the market, and increase both private and public servants salary so the cost of living can be affordable to everyone.’
Anita Jones
Anita Jones said: ‘The world is experiencing inflation so it’s not just Guyana. The job as a vegetable vendor, I can say that vegetables fluctuate in the market; it’s food. I have the good days and the bad days. Prior to the past two months ago, I would say that certain vegetable prices have dropped in the market. Also, consumers are complaining that they have difficulties buying items with their given salary. For instance, Leafy vegetables like Pak choi have gone up. The past few months ago, the price for Pak choi was $200 for 5 roots and now I’m selling three for $200. Other vegetables like Karila and Callaloo are still high. I’m selling ochro cheaper now. Ochro was $160 a lb for the past few months ago, now it’s sold for $120 a lb…before I used to give away squash when people buy vegetable from me, now I can’t do that, I’m selling 2 squash now for $500. When you go to the supermarket, and decide to go back, the prices don’t remain the same, it changes. For instance, bread now is $300 something for one loaf. If you have a family of five …a husband, wife and 3 children, you won’t be able to afford 3 proper meals for them. If the government is going to help with the hike of food prices then they have to increase people’s salary since some people have bills to pay…and that comes like a clockwork every month, people can’t get away with it.’
Sheik Hassan
Sheik Hassan: ‘The cost of living in high and to add to that I’m living in Diamond, I’m getting blackouts, and no water sometimes that makes it worse. I would brush cut people’s grass and when you ask for an extra on my money, they refuse to give. For example, a few months back, a carburetor for my weeding machine cost close to $6,400, now it is being sold for almost $10,000. The cost of living keep rising all the time. The past two months until now, I haven’t eaten pumpkin because a small piece of pumpkin is for $800, before I used to pay $200 and $300 for a reasonable piece…even boulanger is expensive now, it’s sold for $500 for three boulanger, before it was $200 for three boulanger… a lb of celery was $300 and $400, now celery is sold for $1500 a lb, everything gone up now since this ExxonMobil thing going on. The government should do something about the cost of living, especially by lowering the prices on food items because things just going up all the time, and everyone feeling the squeeze.’
Sherlock Sugrim
Sherlock Sugrim: ‘The cost of living have gone up tremendously. Everything gone up and everyone is complaining about the cost of living. As a pensioner, the pension is not enough for me because the cost of items in the market are very high. Basic commodities like milk, rice, flour sugar, gone up…few months back, a 2 kg package flour was $300 and something, now it cost $600 something, the price has doubled in the market. I think the government should increase the pensioner’s stipend per month, also people’s salary so we can afford to purchase items in the market.’
Pedika Phagoo
Pedika Phagoo: ‘The prices in the market is expensive. The thing with these people in the market is that for instance a certain religious time in the year, vendors in the market would sell their vegetables at a high price. At that time a piece of pumpkin was sold at $800 a lb, now they begging me to buy a piece of pumpkin, it gone back to $200 a piece. The government should look at certain things the vendors selling in the market, and place a minimum price to it; vendors are exploiting people. Also, for basic commodities like milk etc… you have to know where to shop. You can’t go to certain supermarkets to shop when you know you can’t afford it…you can try going other places, and get items at a cheaper price while getting more for your money. For example these small shops sells thing expensive, a lady behind me sells a big tub of butter for $600 and something, before it was sold for $480, I wouldn’t go there and buy… instead I would go somewhere else that I would get it at a cheaper price. To be honest, I don’t have a problem with government because of this ordeal, is the people that is selling the things; they should lower the prices of items in the market and stop exploiting other people.’
Adeshewa Adekiya
Adeshewa Adekiya: ‘The cost of living lately has been high, especially food items like tomatoes. A few months back a lb of tomatoes was $180 and $200 then there was a point when it increased to $500 a lb and it was really hard. For instance, to rent a one-bedroom unfurnished studio apartment now is $40,000 GYD per month…before it was $25,000 and $13000 GYD per month. I don’t know if the house owners are increasing the price based on greed or something or the building material expensive or something. I don’t know why they are increasing the prices of things but whatever reason it is, I feel the price should come down because things are very expensive now, people should consider the fact that they have a large amount of foreign students that are trying to live, and manage with studying at the same time. They should try to bring the cost of living done.’
Zipporah Marques
Zipporah Marques: ‘Certain items like sugar and oil have gone up too much for me. Everything in a whole gone up, the market might not add on the prices but these smaller shops, the prices are sky high for items, especially the shops in Sophia. For instance, the past few months back a small bottle oil cost $320, now those small shops are selling the same bottle of oil for $500. I think the government should look into resources that can benefit the people of Guyana, and to help those people out in different ways so the cost of living can be affordable to us.’
Comfort Akinbami
Comfort Akinbami: ‘Things have been quite expensive, I’m a foreigner, I don’t know if it’s obvious, but when I first came to Guyana some things were comfortable to buy in the market, and now things have gone up in the market. I don’t know why because I have learnt that Guyana is producing oil, so I thought things would’ve become better with the oil…looks like the cost of living is getting higher. For instance the exchange rate in Guyana has increased, a few months ago the exchange rate from Naira to GYD was $200.5 GYD, now the exchange rate is $300 something GYD. The rate has increased greatly…Also, I don’t know why but cooking oil in the market keeps increasing. It was $600 a bottle (medium) before, now the same oil is $800, this is way expensive for us as students who are not working but studying medicine. I think the government should look into this, and if there is anything they can do, they should do because it might be easy for those gaining the currency here or might not but for foreigners who have to exchange money, it’s not easy on us…so if there is something they can do about it, we will appreciate it.’
Sarah Khan
Sarah Khan said: ‘The vegetables in the market are very expensive. For instance, a piece of pumpkin now cost $800 a piece, a few month ago it was sold for $300 and $400 a piece…then you have a bundle bora now for $300, before the cost was $200 for 3 bundle of bora. I think the government should lower the price for things in the market because the cost of living is hard for everyone.’
