“Most weeks I cannot buy fish nor chicken, it is just rice and whatever little stew I can find. I can’t say rice and greens because the greens expensive now more than other things. Let me just say that it is only by the Grace of God me and then children making it.”
The words of a single mother of three who is a security guard and like many others finds it hard to grapple with the rising cost of living.
“Everything going up but not my salary. Sometimes it is like real headache when I get pay because you have so much to do but you know the money can’t do and you wondering what you have to leave out,” she told me with a sad smile. “I know it affecting everybody but I could only talk about me and how hard it is for me and them children.”
Like this sister, many in Guyana and around the world are finding it hard to buy basic food items because of the price.
Some believe that the cost-of-living crisis is driven by economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic while global supply chain disruptions and surges in fuel and food prices have lingered among the Caribbean’s net-importing countries.
The Caribbean Food Security and Livelihoods Survey was conducted by the Caribbean Community (Caricom) in collaboration with the United Nations World Food Programme. The sixth of its kind, last year’s findings reveal that there were an estimated 3.7 million moderately or severely food insecure people in the English-speaking Caribbean, which equates to over half of the population.
“This important survey depicts the voices and experiences of 7,870 people across 22 countries and territories. It reveals that high costs are being felt across all demographics. Nearly all respondents reported increases in food prices, the highest proportion across all survey rounds. From a production perspective, regional farmers and fisherfolk report rising input costs, driving many to make changes to their livelihood activities,” the report said.
It also revealed the challenges people continue to face to earn a living and meet essential needs. Four in ten respondents faced job or income loss in those households, with others turning to supplemental income streams. Most are adopting resilience-eroding coping strategies that may compromise their future well-being, such as spending savings to meet food needs or cutting back other essential expenditures like health and education.
This newspaper’s weekly ‘Cost of Living’ feature, published on Mondays has been running for 60 weeks. Below I share some of the sentiments expressed by women as they deal with finding food for their families with little money.
Ulanda Maynard said: “The cost for items in Stanleytown is very high. If I have a certain amount of money, I can’t buy enough items I need for the home since the cost for the items has increased. I’m a family of four. My husband is the sole breadwinner for my family and the money he works for is not enough to take care of us. For example, a pound of sugar a couple months ago cost $140; now a pound of sugar cost $200. Since holiday, the cost for garlic and black-eyed peas has increased more. A couple months back, a pint of black-eyed peas cost $260; now a pint of black-eyed peas cost $400. A pound of garlic that cost $300; now cost $400. The government should raise people’s salary more, both private and public sector to help with the rising cost of living.”
Saskia Alleyne, a 32-year-old single mother said: “Every other month or week I go to the shop, I have noticed the cost for food items has been increasing… I can’t understand the high cost for food items when our country has a lot of useful natural resources and we, single parents has to experience this high cost of living. I’m a self-employed single mother who takes care of my two children plus my two cousins. I hustle to sell food part-time to take care of the four children. I’m in the process of seeking benefits for the children since the cost for all food items has increased. For example, the cost for a small bag of Karibee rice a few months ago was $1400, then it went to $1500, then $1,600; now, recently I purchased the same bag of Karibee rice and it cost $2,400. Also, a 1 litre bottle of oil cost $400, $600 a couple months back; now the cost jumps up to $880. I think the government should consider reducing the cost for food items so single mothers can afford to feed their children.”
Meena Laljie, a pensioner said: “My husband and I are coping with the cost of living, even though it is hard on us. We both are pensioners. The cost for items in the market are very costly now. I have to buy basic items that I need, I can’t go beyond my budget. For example, a few months ago, a tray of eggs cost $1,500; now a tray of eggs cost $1,900. The cost for all vegetables gone up in the market. The cost for a pound of tomatoes a couple months back was $400/$600; now the cost for a pound of tomatoes cost $1,200. I think the government should continue to support pensioners by increasing pensioners’ monthly stipend.”
Soyara Basraj, a 32-year-old businesswoman said: “The cost of living is high right now and it is affecting me a lot since the cost for everything has gone up in the market, even gasoline to full my car tank every day when taking the kids to school, is costly. Every day I would add $5,000 worth of gasoline in my car because of the constant drops I have to do when taking my kids to their destinations every day to school and lessons then back home. Also, I used to go to the market with $10,000 to purchase grocery items; now I have to go with $15,000/$20,000 just to purchase fish and vegetables. That doesn’t include the cost for chicken. Everyone in my family is self-employed and still the cost of living affects us. I sell eggs and sew for a living. Everything gone up in the market, for example, a tray of eggs a few months ago cost $1,000; now a tray of eggs cost $1,800. A pound of celery before cost $700 a pound; now a pound of celery cost $5,000. Right now, the cost for eschalot, boulanger and tomatoes rise up in the market. I guess it’s the climate conditions. I think the government should do something about the high cost for food items because the little local produces that are left in the country, the vendors are now selling them at a high cost.”
Nandranie Jaikaran, 53-year-old vegetable vendor: “Business is a little slow because everything gone up in the market and people hardly have money to shop in the market. I’m the breadwinner for my home and although everything gone up in the market, when the day come, I still have to pay my bills. Some days I would only make about $3,000/$4,000 while some days I make nothing. Also, some days I don’t make back my money for the items I purchase to sell back. Everything get expensive, for instance, the Natura pound pack right now cost about $760, before the cost was $300. Even sugar gone up, a pound of sugar now cost $160, before the cost was about $60 a pound. The government should do something about these rise in prices for basic food items in the market. They can raise all single parents’ salary or maybe give them something to help them with the cost of living. Also, to help people who are disabled and can’t afford to buy things.’
Nadya Fraser: “I have noticed that a lot of produce, for instance, greens and basic food items that are growing right in Guyana are sold expensive. Probably not the farmers doing it but the middlemen exploiting the consumers. I see no need for these middlemen to sell things at an exorbitant price. Now I can see the greens price for peppers, tomatoes have dropped a little but still more items are still expensive for people. The 20 pounds bottle cooking gas for example, was sold before for $3,800/$3,600, now the same bottle of gas cost about $5,000. When business people purchase items like footwear to sell back they are buying it for a high price. When we receive it to add on a profit, it is a difficult task because if we raise prices because of how we are buying it for, our loyal customer will source somewhere else that has a cheaper price. Basically, we barely could put on money on our profit margin when you look at it and not forgetting, we as store owners and clothes vendors have bills to pay.
I don’t know if the government can actually reduce prices on basic commodities because it’s not only Guyana experiencing the high rise in prices in the market, this thing is a worldwide thing. I think though, the government should raise the salary of all public servants by 25%. Also, to offset some of the cost of living as right now, it has sky rocket in the market.’
In a January 2022 Women’s Chronicles this is what another sister said: “This cost a living really getting to me now. Well it getting to me long now but now is like me head spinning. I don’t know if to turn left or right. Poor people can’t make it no more in this place. Soon we will just have to give up.”
At the time she had just left a city market with a few small black plastic bags in her hands. Those bags, she had said, contained $5,000 in purchases, which she said would not have lasted her family a week.
“Now tell me where would I get more money from? I just get pay, you know, and the next two weeks when I get pay is for bills so I don’t know what will happen or how me and my children will survive,” she shad questioned.
One woman had explained that at that time she worked for $65,000 a month as a security guard.
At that time she explained that she paid $30,000 in rent. Another $5,000 for electricity, $3,000 for water, $5,000 for internet; a total of $43,000 in regular monthly bills. This meant she had just about $22,000 to purchase food and take care of all other expenses, inclusive of transportation.
“Well before this COVID thing come, I never used to pay for internet and dem things, but the children had to get it… They had to get WhatsApp and Zoom and them things so now I have to pay that,” she had explained.
This is what I had written then: “The year 2022 has really not started easy for many of us and especially for many women who now have to try to work magic in the kitchen in an effort to make their supplies last longer. Let us all hope for better as the year progresses”.
It has not gotten better at the start of 2024. The struggles are even more and many sisters are wondering how much more they can endure.
