Interviews and photos by Subhana Shiwmangal
Stabroek News spoke to members of the public in the Diamond-Grove area, East Bank Demerara in Region Four about the rising cost of living and how it is affecting them. The following are their comments:
Curt Joseph
Curt Joseph said: “ Groceries gone up and sometimes when I don’t get my salary early, I don’t get enough money to buy certain things. Don’t get me wrong, I would have money but I can’t afford to buy certain things in the market because everything expensive. Things expensive like, cooking oil – a 1 litre bottle oil was $500 and something a few months ago, now it cost $700 and something. Also, a small Natura milk cost $760 now and before it was $570. I find that I can’t save because I’m spending more these days. I think the Government of Guyana should look into the rise in these prices since a lot of things gone up. That’s why there is a lot of young people stealing. I mean the government should see how they can drop the groceries prices a little in the market since the cost of living is high.”
Leslin Armstrong
Leslin Armstrong, a 46-year-old vegetable vendor, said: “The cost of living is high because things like plantain gone sky high. A few months ago, I used to pay $100 a pound for plantain, $160 pound; different price, now I’m paying $180 wholesale for plantain, $190 and sometimes $200 all I’m paying. Couple months back, I would use $20,000 for groceries. Now I’m using $35,000 to buy groceries for my family of 10 persons and still that’s not enough since it’s a lot of us in the family. The government should look into the reason for the rising cost of living and see what can be done for the people. Things are very hard for me because on top of groceries, I have the children expense to cover to send them to school and so. Even basic things like sugar all gone up.”
Paul Mangar
Paul Mangar, a 35-year-old farmer and electrician said: “The cost of living has gone up on building materials. I didn’t expect the prices to be so high on these things. Just the other day I was looking at the cost for 1 feet of Zinc sheet and it cost $250. Before 1 feet of Zinc Sheet cost about $200. Basically, building materials just rising all the time. Well food fluctuates a lot these days, for instance, boulanger right now I’m buying $5,000 a bag, before it was cheaper. Even eschalot gone up. These rise in prices has been affecting me a lot because I’m spending more on everything and when I take out labour cost for workers, I’m left with nothing to save. The government need a system like the co-op system where the government can bring in stuff and sell to consumers because when businesses bring in products, they blame things like importation cost, freight cost and other cost associated with getting the product to Guyana. Another thing is that the government should raise people salaries in such a way that they don’t have to depend on the next salary. If you look at the situation right now, people borrowing money and taking credits from businesses or shops to get what they want because they are not getting enough money to buy the things they want. The government should give the people a significant raise in salary so the people could control spending a little more and manage to save more.”
Amelia Hendricks
Amelia Hendricks, a 33-year-old boutique and gift centre owner said: “Being a mother of two children the rising cost of living has really affected me. When the pandemic hit, I was working at a public company and I had to leave my job and stay home to look after my family. It was a challenge for me still because I have my two kids to look after. I started to run a boutique and gift centre last year so I can try to make ends meet but the rising cost of living now is really hard because the greens, the food items and everything gone up. A pound of cheese now is $900, before it was $600 a pound. I use cheese because I do baking for the children. Even the small pack Thunderbolt gone up to $360, before it was $240, followed by the pack snacks I buy for the children to take to school. A pack of snacks before was $900 and now the same pack cost $1,200. I usually make pastries for the children but because of the rising cost of living, to make these things now is expensive. It’s more hard with the greens also… bora, carrots, sometimes I get a pack of carrots for $700. I think the government should give food subsidy to everyone, just like how they shared the $25,000 food subsidy. That will be a good thing to do once more because when you look in the newspaper and see the basic things that people use like rice, flour, sugar, oil; the government should bring the prices down on those items. Another thing, we the vendors usually do vending near the road corners and near the road head but because of events such as Diwali and so forth, the [local government] would ask us to move our stand back into the Diamond-Grove Market. However, they had asked the vendors to do vending in the market for now until they make a final decision as to where we will be permanently vending. Some vendors are still vending at the road head and I would like the local government to come and see what’s going on. In the meantime, while they are trying to make a final decision about us vending, I would like to go back to vending near the corner of the road because there is where I get most of my customers from.”
Mark Schadde
Mark Schadde, a 35-year-old welder and fabricator said: “ Everything gone up like electricity bill, internet bill; in the market, greens… For instance, right now 3 boulanger is for $500, before it was like 3 for $200. Even a pound of plantain now is for $360, before it was $80 a pound. This has been a little hard on me because not always I can afford to buy certain things.
I think the government should give the farmers some more money so they can cut down on certain cost on raw materials or expenses they incur on a daily basis in order for them to make a profit on the produce they are selling. Another thing is the government should place control prices on certain things because when gas prices gone down, you still find the driver raising their prices on the bus fare. For instance, when I used to pay $120 from Friendship to Georgetown a few months back, I’m paying $200 now for the same route. Even building materials like steel rod gone up. When you going to pay $5 million to build a house, long time, now you paying $9 million or more to build a house because the building materials gone up high.”
Richard Ramjal
Richard Ramjal said: “When I go to the market to buy things, things just raising. Even down to the supermarkets are selling things expensive. So how can poor people live with that cost of living? Then the jobs that people do, they are being underpaid. The cost of living is very high. The government should create better jobs for people and work on carrying down the rising cost of living. I think Guyana will get better once this is done. Things gone up in the market. Like building material, that is more expensive, a ½-inch steel rod now is nearly $2,300. Before it was $1,500, $1,600. Even cement high, now a sack of cement is $2,000, a few months ago it was $1,700. Then there’s tiles and so forth, everything gone up.”
John Persaud
John Persaud, a 59-year-old confectionery vendor said: “The rising cost of living is not affecting Guyana to an extent like how it is affecting other countries. In other countries, the rising cost of living is worst compared to Guyana. However, basic things like cooking oil has risen because before a gallon bottle of oil cost $1,500, now that same bottle of oil cost $2,800. Everything gone up. I think the government has enough money to help the people, seeing that we are producing oil in Guyana now. It doesn’t make sense the government building the roads and other things in Guyana when some people would not live to benefit from these things. They should focus more on making foodstuff affordable to the people. Another thing they can do is to drop the pension age to 60 years instead of 65 years because most people don’t live to see that age.”
Orande Belonie
Orande Belonie, a 44-year-old bus driver said: “I find that food items are expensive to buy for kids in the market. By the time I get to the supermarket, $5000 done. I have to save because everything gone up. If it’s not a necessity, I can’t buy it because I have to limit myself to what I buy. Even the meat prices gone up; a pound of chicken now is $400, before it was about $300 a pound; two pounds of beef now is $2,000, before it was less. I think the government should look into the price people are selling their items at and carry out a personal check to determine why the prices are high on our basic food items. I don’t think paddy price is high, so I don’t know why the feed price gone up high.”
Desiree Garraway
Desiree Garraway said: “ The rising cost of living is affecting a lot of people because everything in the supermarkets and market gone sky high. Could you imagine one boulanger is $250 now and before I use to get three or four boulanger for $200? Even down to the small pack Natura milk is expensive in the supermarket. A small pack of Natura milk is $760 now, before it was $400 and $500 a pack. Some people have kids to go to school and have to provide bus fares for their kids, lesson fees, snacks and their salaries are small. It’s no big money they working for, because the job is paying little. I don’t have a problem with what the government is doing for the people, but they could see how they can investigate the prices of items sold both in the supermarkets and markets since a lot of single parents who have three or four children, can’t afford to buy groceries and greens in the markets/supermarket since the prices are high on everything.”
Sachi Bushram
Sachi Bushram, a 31-year-old clothes vendor said: “The cost of living is really high on basic items we use daily. Look at the cooking oil price. A big bottle Wesson cooking oil now cost $4,000 and something, before it was $3,000 and something for the same bottle. A bag of rice is like $2,000 now. Before it was $ 1,300, $1,400 for a bag of rice. To me, the basic items that you need should not be so expensive. Even a small pack of Fernleaf milk cost $1,000 now; before it was $ 700 and something. There are three of us living in the home but it’s not easy to buy these things because they are expensive. These basic necessity that we use on a daily basis, the government should reduce the VAT on those things so these basic things can be affordable to everyone.”
Alexis Jordan
Alexis Jordan, a 37-year-old owner of a clothes stall said: “ I see that the greens prices are suitable to us; it gone down a little which is good. But the prices on basic commodities are high. A big pack Thunderbolt flour now is S500, $600 and something, before the price was less. Things that you need gone up. A small pack Natura milk was $440, now I’m paying $660 for the small pack. Things really hard. Sometimes I go to the shop with $15,000 and I’m not seeing the items for the money I’m paying. I really want know if it’s true that we are producing oil in this country because things are really expensive, especially the basic groceries we need daily. I think the government need to make things a little cheaper on basic commodities we use every day because the rising cost of living is affecting everyone. Despite we own a business or not, things are hard on everyone.”
