Stabroek News spoke to members of the public in the Tuschen area, East Bank Essequibo in Region Three about the rising cost of living and how it is affecting them. The following are their comments:
Bibi Rahaman
Bibi Rahaman said: “The rising cost of living is really stressful, if I cannot buy a pound of something, I would buy half. I make that work because my needs and wants are two different things, my needs come first. The rising cost of living is a worldwide something; everything gone up both in the market and supermarkets. I can’t afford to buy the powder milk because it is expensive so I’m using the tin evaporated milk. Everything rise up in the market, a few months ago the 2kg Thunderbolt flour cost $440/$420 and now it cost $666 2kg…even rice expensive, a gallon of Karibee rice cost $900 now, before it was $680. Well I see that Greens were sold at a reasonable price the starting of the year. Also, farmers got help from the government and they crying out about the heavy prices of fertilizers? The government should do something about this and also, to help poor people because the cost of living is high.”
Roneld Pakenram
Roneld Pakenram, a 30-year-old livestock farmer said: “The rising cost of living is not really affecting me because I find that chicken prices fluctuates when buying live birds. What is affecting me is that on the road farmers are selling a live chicken for $260/$280, $300 and Bounty Farm Limited sells their chicken for $295 wholesale and because of this wholesaler go and buy the live chicken from the corner of the road and sell it to the Chinese cheap preventing us from selling our chicken. The government should do something about lowering prices on rawmaterial, such as corn and soybean to make the feed in order for the feed price to go down, once feed price is down, chicken price will come down.
Tyronalves Phillbert
Tyronalves Phillbert said: “ The rising cost of living has not been affecting me because I’m living with my parents but my mother said that a $1000 now, you can’t get the amount of things in the market like how she used to get before because everything raise. Now if you don’t have about $15,000, weekend you can’t get enough groceries and suh; they can’t save…a few months ago plantain was $100 a pound, now the cost for a pound of plantain is $260 and $300 some places, even a pound of sugar now is $200. I think the government is doing well for the country and the rising cost of living will take some time to go down, it’s just the processing of the oil and in the future the rising the cost of living will go down, at the moment we are coping with it.”
Pamela Nizam
Pamela Nizam, a 45-year-old Vegetable vendor said: “The rising cost of living is high because having that small amount of money, people cannot afford to buy things in the market. Items like oil gone up in the market, a 1 litre bottle of oil cost $1000 now, before it was $300 for the same bottle…even sugar expensive, a pound of sugar now is $380 before it was cheaper. I think the government should lower the cost of living so people could afford things.”
Shivanie Chandrashakar
Shivanie Chandrashakar, a 28-year-old Boutique owner said: “To me the business is slow, so everything is rising in the supermarkets… it is hard to maintain the business, then you have workers and bills to pay. What the government should do is to give an increase to people’s salary so their money can circulate …almost everybody that comes to buy at the clothes store owned by both my husband and I, says things hard and we would have to less down our prices for them, just to make a little profit, trust me. So all of that is hard on the business. Gas gone up, almost everything gone in the supermarkets…a pack of flour now is $400 something, before it was $300 and something.”
Kapildeo Lalbacchan
Kapildeo Lalbacchan, a 40-year-old vegetable vendor said: “ Now when you buy $5000 in groceries, you coming out with a small plastic bag…things raise in the market, imagine what will happen to people with lots of children. The Chinese supermarket is selling their things cheaper so everyone tries to rush there to buy…right now, a foot of Zinc sheet cost $400 and something , before it was $260 and before a sack of cement was $1500/$1800, now the same sack cost $2000. If you have to build a house, you have to get like $200,000 to do that and now you can’t even save because you are spending more on groceries items. I think the government should do something to help poor people because in this country how I see it is who get rich, is richer and the poor is poorer. At least, I have a greens stand to sell something to eat but to assist people who are poorer than me with lots of children, the government can assist the poor people to buy school uniforms at least for their children.”
Sumintra Kishna
Sumintra Kishna said: “The government should look into the goods and vegetables because it is affecting people badly. Even to me, I’m a vegetarian and the greens are so, so expensive and I can’t afford it sometime and I sell dog food…the meat, rice and all things gone up; everything gone up. You feel so bad about the government, sometimes I wonder where I place my X, for example vendors are selling 5 roots of Calaloo now for $500, before that same 5 roots cost $200. Even pumpkin gone up, before I used to pay $120 for a small piece of pumpkin, now that same piece is $300, watermelon all gone up to $1000 from $400, a bag of mole gone up too, taxi fare too: everything gone up.”
Sarwan Persaud
Sarwan Persaud, 40-year-old greens vendors said: “Electricity bill and water bill gone up, the Water bill gone up to $6000 and before it was $3000. What you find is that some items are at a normal price in certain area while it is not so in other areas, basically somethings are cheap and somethings are expensive at times…I have to cope with it, what I’m going to do? I’m not getting to save like how I used to before, for example, 1 litre bottle of old gone up to $900 and something from $600 and something. I can’t blame the government for the rising cost of living because this is something that is happening all over, it’s nationwide but what I think they can do is to lower the prices on food items for the people.”
Satwantie Samaroo
Satwantie Samaroo said: “Everything gone up in the market, the money small and the cost of living is hard. The little money that you get, you have to spend it to buy things for the home. Right now, I would use rice and that too gone up, a few months ago a small bag of Karibee rice cost $1700, now it cost $2200 and the lowest is $2000. Even flour expensive right now, $600 is for a big pack Thunderbolt flour and before it was $460 a pack. The government should carry down the cost of living on everything, ones that is carried down people will be able to afford things because at the moment the money can’t do to buy things in both the supermarkets and markets.”
Johnny Ram
Johnny Ram, a 54-year-old hotdogs, hamburgers and barbecue vendor said: “The rising cost of living is not affecting me as much as how it’s affecting the people who are not working…when you are working sometimes the money won’t do to afford certain things because some people working for a small salary while some are not. Also, considering the extend of the family, if you have a family that is small and your salary is big that household won’t feel the rising cost of living but if it’s a big family with a small salary, then that family will feel the expense. All the items in the market gone up, cheese, sausages, bread, greens; everything. The rising cost of living is not only affecting this country but it’s a worldwide things, especially during the Russia war, everything gone up from $20 to $40. So I just have to work it out to make a dollar.”
Azaad Barkatullah
Azaad Barkatullah said: “Somedays are bad while some are good, people salary is low. How long people will work for $3000? Before people used to get $4000 whenever they work, now they getting $3000. Most people work the lower cast of people to next to nothing. Everything now is expensive, all things raise and this has been affecting me a little…a few months ago a pack of fern leaf milk was $700, now it is sold in the supermarket for a $1000. Even honey expensive, a big bottle of honey is $2000 now, before it was $1900. Goods are limited in this country and the people raises prices on them now, you know that the Caribbean countries have a stable prices on goods. The government of Guyana need to give a stable price on goods in this country to help the rising cost of living in this country.”
