Residents of De Veldt, Berbice River are appealing to the relevant authorities to assist in providing a regular transportation service so that their produce could be sold.
One resident, Martin Christopher, who contacted this newspaper from the area on Sunday said he was very frustrated that his produce, mainly pumpkin, is left to rot because he cannot find markets. The man said it is very difficult to labour in planting the vegetable and then to watch his labour “go down the drain.”
The man explained that many years ago a ferry made weekly trips and the huskers would take that opportunity to go to the various communities and purchase the produce directly from the farmers. However, he said, the ferry has since stopped plying that route and now the famers have to depend on private boat owners to get their produce out to New Amsterdam. He said in most cases the boat owners would purchase the produce from them at a price and then sell it in New Amsterdam but in many cases they have to wait until the boat owners manage to sell the produce before they get paid. At times they will hear stories of the produce rotting and the boat owners not managing to get them sold.
This, he said, is very frustrating adding that now they are offered a measly $10 per pound for pumpkin which cannot compensate for the labour they have expended in planting and caring for the plants. Produce such as plantains, bananas and corn are more easily sold. Christopher said they are forced to sell these at a much lower price than they would have received were they able to sell directly to the huskers.
He said residents have been begging for years for a head of state to visit the area. According to him, whenever a minister or other officials visit the area they would only listen to their concerns but nothing is ever done to alleviate their suffering.
“We want the president to come, we calling on him to come so we can sit down and have a good talk and for him to see what is happening here to us, we are barely surviving,” the resident said.
