Part 81
Stabroek News spoke to members of the public at Farm, East Bank Demerara about the rising cost of living and how it is affecting them. The following are their comments:
Interviews and photos by Subhana Shiwmangal
Oveilia Bryan, a pensioner said: “I don’t know what to say because the cost for everything gone up at the shops and the salary is not raising. What you going to do? You have to try with the cost of liivng. If you can’t buy a pound of something, buy half pound instead. I’m living alone, downstairs, while my son and his family lives upstairs. I support myself using my monthly pension. Recently, I purchased couple items and my $7,000 finished quickly. I didn’t get much for my money, I bought chowmein, milk, porridge, bag rice, flour and sugar. I didn’t get to buy other items I need. The cost for things gets expensive now. For example, a Lam’s chowmein before cost $200; now the chowmein cost $300. A 10 kg Karibee rice a couple months back cost $1,900; now the same rice cost $2,400. We can’t do anything but the government should come around and visit the shops in the area and look in to the high prices for items; everyday the cost for something rising in the shop.”
Muniram Bridgmohan
Muniram Bridgmohan said: “The cost of living is climbing high all the time but it is not affecting me so much. I rear chicken and I have my own kitchen garden to help my wife pay the bills and so. The cost of living is affecting the poorer people. My wife is a pensioner. The cost for items going up; up to the other day people raised their cost for their products. When rearing layers, I have noticed that even the cost for feed gone sky high. I try to sell my eggs to people reasonable although the prices for feed increased. For example, I used to sell four eggs for $100; now I’m selling two eggs for $100. The prices for items climbing all the time. If I don’t sell my eggs for the price, I’m selingl them at now, I can’t make it in business. The prices for feed this year jumped up high. Last year a bag of starter cost $4,000; now the starter cost $6,000/$8,000. Even the prices for the pullet grower and egg layer ration gone up. I think there is a lot more the government can do to help with the cost of living. I have travelled a lot and I saw Suriname have the prices for food stuff at a control price and here don’t have any control prices for food items…I think if the government take their own money and transport their goods in this country and place it at a cost price at shops to have it sell then everybody can live happy.”
Evadney Baird
Evadney Baird, a 64-year-old farmer said: “The cost of living is affecting my family and I very bad because every month you have to go with extra money to buy items from the shop. Everything is expensive. This is suffering; it is like we are going to starve and die. Like I have to buy grass now. I rear cows and the milk is not selling because people don’t have money to buy cow milk. When I credit, the people moved away and don’t pay. This country is getting hard; we are suffering in this place. Some people have children and they are not getting public assistance for them. My son lives with me. He works while I receive NIS pension also. The eggs that I get from the chicken, I would share it to people who comes to buy milk because the eggs hardly sell. The cost of living is very frustrating because at night I can’t sleep. The NIS pension that I receive is not enough to buy food items to eat. I have to pay bills. It’s just two of us living in the home and we have to pay $12,000 for water monthly. Everything gone up. For example, before a 10kg Karibee rice cost $1900; now the rice cost $2,400. A gallon kerosene before cost $500; now the kerosene cost $1,300. Even the prices for a pound of chicken, a bottle of sweet drink, Bakewell bread and tennis roll gone up. I think the government should do house to house check and look into how places are selling these food items and do something to help the people.”
Shanti Budhram
Shanti Budhram, a 53-year-old housewife said: “The cost of living is affecting my family of six very bad because the cost for everything has gone up in the markets/shops. My husband works and provide for me and my children while my mother receives her pension and support both her and my brother who is sick. Together we try to cope with the high prices when purchasing items from the shops/markets. For example, a couple months back a 10 lbs cylinder cooking gas cost $3,300/$3,000; now the gas cost $4,600. I used to sell a Bakewell bread for $260; now a Bakewell bread cost $340. The government should see what they can do about the rising cost of living. Another thing is, when I want to come out of my home in the nights, I’m afraid to do so because the street does not have any street lights. I would like the government to consider placing street lights in our street.”
Lachmin Rickiram
Lachmin Rickiram, a 64-year-old widow said: “The cost of living is affecting me because I’m a widow and I don’t have much financial help to buy food items I need. My son helps me financially with whatever little money he has, other than that I don’t have any other income. I try to do a side hustle by selling chips sometimes to persons in the community, in order to pay my bills. I had a business but I had to close it. The cost for items keeps going up all the time, I’m trying to cope with the high price. For example, before a 10lbs cylinder cooking gas cost $3,000 and something; now the gas cost $4,700. A few months ago, a 1 litre cooking oil cost $400; now the oil cost $600/$700 at the shops. The government should look in to ways to reduce the cost for food items because it’s the business people that is exploiting us with the high prices not the government to blame.”
Agnes Singh
Agnes Singh, a pensioner said: “The cost of living is affecting me because the prices for everything is costly now. My son lives with me and he can’t work because he is not in the state to work. So, I just run the home using my monthly pension whilst taking care of my son. I don’t get no kind of big money; my pension finishes within two weeks. I usually will have to borrow money to get by until the next month. The cost of living is really hard now. For example, a 1 litre cooking oil a couple months back cost $300 and something; now the oil cost $600. A bag of tennis rolls a couple months back cost $260; now the tennis rolls cost $340. The government should consider more ways to help the business people to reduce the high cost for food items.”
Zorema Singh
Zorema Singh, a pensioner said: “The cost of living is affecting me bad because both my husband and I are pensioners and the money is not enough for a month. I’m not seeing good and then I’m diabetic and would buy insulin often. Sometime the clinic doesn’t have the medications, so I will have to find money to buy them. So, the cost of living is very hard for me.
My husband and I live alone. For example, a pound pack Natura milk before cost $400; now the milk cost $800/$900. The cost for the cholesterol pills gone up, before I used to buy 10 cholesterol pills on a card for $300; now the same pills cost $500. This last just for 10 days. Everything gone up in the markets, especially the greens that I have to use in my diet. Before a big bundle of bora cost $200; now eight strings of bora cost $200. Even the cost for boulanger had increased.
I can’t say what can be done about the rising cost of living cause the times we living in is very, very difficult to say what can reduce the cost of living. We can’t expect getting better, we have to expect that all the time the cost for things will keep going up. We just have to cope with the cost of living.”
Jairram lall
Jairram lall, a 21-year-old labourer said: “The cost of living is affecting me a lot because I’m not getting a job every day, just part-time. I live alone. I try to budget to buy food items I need for myself. The prices for food items raising all the time. For example, a bag of tennis rolls a couple months back cost $260; now the tennis roll cost $360. A 10kg bag rice before cost $2,000; now the rice cost $2,500. Even the cost for a tin sardine gone up at the shops. The government should do something to reduce the cost of living.”
Anita Lala
Anita Lala, a 55-year-old widow said: “I’m living alone right now and my husband died a month now. Since then, I have no sort of stable income when the month comes. My sister-in-law pays my bills when she can and provide food for me. The cost of living is really tough on me because I don’t have no money when the month comes. I have to rely on one and two family members and I have arthritis in my foot; I can’t walk much. Anywhere I go I have to get money from family for taxi and the fare is very expensive now. For example, a taxi to go out of the road a few days ago cost about $300; now the fare is $400. Before a 10lbs cylinder cooking gas cost $3,000; now the gas cost $4,600.
I have recently applied for survival benefit from the government but I still have to wait until the process is completed. So, I’m waiting on a call this month from the government in relation to the benefit. I really would like any help from the government so I can buy items I need for myself.”
Aaron Mangroo
Aaron Mangroo, a 53-year-old construction worker said:” All this oil that we have in the country and yet the government is pressuring us to pay more on our utility bills. The cost for bread has increased at the shops/market.
A bag of tennis roll before cost $260; now the tennis roll cost $400. Before a Bakewell bread cost $300; now a Bakewell bread cost $400. A 10kg karibee rice before cost $2,200; now the rice cost $2,500. All these things have increased in the market/shops. Only election time and during the flood time the government came around here to see how the people doing; other than that, they don’t visit the area to see how the people are doing.
The cost of living is affecting my family of three a lot because everything gone up. What you are going to do about the cost of living? You just have to try with it. You can’t go to the government for help, you have to work and try to make do with what you have. I’m the sole breadwinner of my family. If you can’t eat chicken today because of the high price, you have to eat fish.
The government need to do something about the high cost of living. They can at least provide subsidy for water because my father is a pensioner and he’s paying full for his water.“
