Stabroek News spoke to members of the public in Triumph, East Coast Demerara about the rising cost of living and how it is affecting them. The following are their comments:
Nina Anderson
Nina Anderson, a 53-year-old business woman said: “The cost of living is affecting my family and I a lot because every day you go on the road, there is no price control on food items. Everyday there is a new price on food items. Also, the cost on basic things are not reducing; like the electricity and internet. Another thing is that the government is giving the Asian market more preference than the Guyanese market. The price for a lot of food item has increased in the market. For example, the cost for a 10kg bag of Karibee rice a couple months back cost $2,000; now the same bag of rice cost $2,200. Cooking gas before cost $4,400; now the cost for a cylinder of cooking gas is $4,800. I’m a family of three, including my mother and my sister. My sister and I run a shop to maintain the three of us. Even the income we receive from the daily sales is not enough to maintain us. We would have to rely on help from family overseas every month. My mother is a pensioner and she is disabled, so we also get a little help from the government on the water bill. The government should be able to pay people so they can be able to offset their financial situation. Look at the basic teachers, they are fighting for a raise of pay and the government shunning them and threatening them to dismiss them…There is also a problem with the drainage system here that needs to be addressed by the relevant authority.”
John Dornellas
John Dornellas said: “Things are very expensive now, especially the cost for cooking gas and grocery items have increased. The money people getting, we can hardly survive on it. The monthly pension my wife and I receive cannot do to support my family of nine including my five grandchildren. My son-in-law and daughter work but still when my wife and I are finished paying the utility bills, the money left could barely cover the cost for food. The cost for everything is rising in the market, nothing is not going down. A few months ago, the cost for a 20 lb cylinder cooking gas was $4,500, now the cooking gas cost $5,000. Grocery item like a big bag Karibee rice a couple months back cost $7,000; now the rice cost $10,000. Every time I go to shop the prices fluctuates. I think the cost for rice will increase more because rice farmers are encountering difficulties in growing the rice. The cost for pesticides to spray the rice has risen and the rice millers are giving the rice farmers next to nothing for the rice paddy. The government should reach out to poor people and help them with the rising cost of living. Also, people’s salary and pensioners’ monthly stipend need to increase.”
Liloutie Parasram
Liloutie Parasram, a pensioner said: “My husband and I live alone and we try to cope with the rising cost of living. I receive pension while my husband works so the cost of living do not bother us. The cost of living is high but we plant our own vegetables so we don’t have to purchase vegetables from the market. We only purchase one and two grocery items, if we really need it since my daughter would usually give us some grocery items from her shop or we buy from her, if necessary. Sometimes, the cost for some items have increase in the market but we try to cope with the cost of living. For example, the cost for three big Catfish before was $500; now the same Catfish cost $1,000 for a while now. The cost for a 20-pounds cylinder cooking gas a couple months ago when I wasn’t purchasing gas as yet was $4,500; now the cooking gas cost $4,800. I think we should try to cope with the rising cost of living.”
Ashantie Schultz
Ashantie Schultz, a 21-year-old housewife said: “The cost of living is kind of hard for me. I’m a family of three, including my common-law husband and my toddler and my husband’s income is not sufficient to buy everything for the home and pay rent at the same time. We try to budget to buy items we need to cope with the rising cost of living. The cost for grocery items has increased in the market and the quality for some of the items sold, like potatoes sometimes have rotten ones between the ones I purchase. For example, a pound of onions a couple months ago cost $100 and something; now a pound of onions cost $260. Also, about some time back a slice of pumpkin cost $200 and something; now a slice of pumpkin cost $500. Well, the cost for some vegetables has reduce in the market. Even the cost for a big cylinder cooking gas has gone up now. The cost for cooking gas a couple months back was $4,300; now the gas cost $4,500. I know the struggles farmers face in producing their crops but if they can reduce their prices a little on food items that will be a good thing for people.”
Vineata Ramshoye
Vineata Ramshoye, a 48-year-old housewife said: “The cost of living is very high right now because when I go to the market now with $15,000 to buy vegetables, the money finishes quickly. Then I have to buy other grocery items and pay utility bills; that comes close to a total of $60,000 a month. I’m a family of seven and only my husband and two sons are working to provide for the home. My father receives his monthly pension and we would rely on his support if needed to help with the cost of living. To me the cost for grocery is expensive now. The cost for a bag of rice is expensive now. A bag of rice a couple months back cost $2,100; now a bag of rice cost $2,400. A 2-lbs packet of Thunderbolt flour before cost $400; now the flour cost $600. Also, a pound of butter a couple months back cost $400 and something; now the butter cost $600. I think the government should consider more increases on people’s salary for both private and public sectors.”
Chitrekha Williams
Chitrekha Williams said: “The cost of living is affecting me very bad because the cost for grocery has gone up in the market. The money that my husband work for, I use it to pay utility bills and to cover the cost to run the home. I don’t really get much money to save. I’m a family of four, including my son and a baby on the way. I also do part-time work but I’m not working at the moment. I’ve found that the cost for certain vegetables have reduce in the market but the cost for other grocery items have increase a lot in the market. For example, the medium bottle Sun Empire Fortified Sunflower oil a couple months back cost $1,800; now the oil cost $2,800. A slice of pumpkin before cost $200; now a slice of pumpkin cost $400. The government should increase people’s salary since the cost of living has increase a lot and also increase our money value. Even the taxi fare to send my son to the Martyrsville nursery school every day is costly.”
Jenny Jagmohan
Jenny Jagmohan said: “The cost of living is affecting me a lot because the salary my husband is working for is almost $80,000 and when I finish paying the water, electricity and internet bills then buy some groceries, the money finish. I’m a family of three including my son. My son had to quit his school to work in order to provide for the home. Well, the cost for some vegetables have reduced in the market while the cost for some is still high. The cost of living is hard for us. It’s a month now since I have noticed the cost for some vegetables have reduce in the market, like the cost for karila and so on gone down. The cost for other grocery items is still expensive. For example, the cost for a small bag Karibee rice a couple months back cost $1,200; now the rice cost $2,200 and $2,300 some places. Also, 20-lbs cylinder cooking gas a couple months back cost $3,500; now the cooking gas cost $4,600. I think the government should consider increasing the money value, reduce the cost for food items more, increase people’s salary more and look into the company who doing their own things.”
Gaffar Seunauth
Gaffar Seunauth said: “The cost of living is affecting my family and I a lot because the vegetables and provision business I run in the market is slow. People are not buying because they can’t afford it. I’m a family of three including my son. My son works and help provide for the home, in addition to another business I run with my wife from the shop located in our yard. Right now, the cost for vegetables has reduced in the market, the prices fluctuate but certain vegetables like the cost for bora and cabbage are high in the market. And, the cost for things like boulanger, ochro, pumpkin and so have reduced in the market. The cost for other grocery items has increased in the market. For example, a 1 kg Thunderbolt flour a few months ago cost $280; the flour now cost $360. Also, a 10kg Karibee rice a couple months ago cost $1,800; now the rice cost $2,200. The government should drop the cost for all food items more and try to place old age pension at 60 years instead of 65 years to help with the rising cost of living.”
Leon Griffith
Leon Griffith, a 37-year-old gold miner said: “The cost for food items has increased in the market and I find myself spending more money on food items. My wife who sells in the market would normally tell me about the increase. I normally gave her the money to shop. I’m a family of four, including my wife and two kids. We just have to cope with the rising cost of living because we are not getting better prices for our money. For example, the cost for a 10kg Karibee rice a couple months ago cost $1,200 and something; now the rice cost about $1,900 and something. Even the cost for an electric saw that I recently bought to use in my line of work is expensive. A couple month ago, the saw cost $13,000; now the saw cost about $27,000 and something. I think the government should do something about the rising cost of living.”
Savitri Chetram
Savitri Chetram, a 56-year-old housewife said: “The cost of living is really affecting my husband and I because both of us are sickly. We live alone. The taxi fare alone to travel to and from clinic is expensive. Then there is the cost for food items my husband and I have to buy to use daily in our diet which is currently expensive. Sometimes we can’t buy it because we don’t have enough money. I put in for public assistance and I’m currently awaiting the result while the main source of income comes from my husband’s monthly pension. Out of that I have to pay the utility bills. The cost for all food items has increased in the markets. For example, the cost for a taxi to go and come in Plantain Walk Access Road, Triumph to Industry Clinic a couple months back cost $700; now the taxi fare cost $1,000, depending on the taxi you use. Also, the cost for a 10-kg Karibee rice before cost $1,900; now the rice cost $2,100. A 20-lbs cylinder cooking gas a couple months ago cost $4,100; now the gas cost $4,300/$4,400. Even the cost for a squash in here expensive than what the market selling it for. The government should reach out to its people and assist them with something toward the rising cost of living and try to reduce the high cost of living.”
