Whereas unlike in other countries, some even here in the Caribbean, where the onset of COVID-19 has placed the issue of food security close to the top of the national agenda, this thankfully has not been the case in Guyana. While the prices of some farm produce customarily associated with treating minor ailments (lemons and ginger come readily to mind) have been fluctuating in price, fresh fruit and vegetables, these days scarce (and threatening to become even scarcer) in many countries are available in reassuring abundance in local markets. And as if to underscore the point about our status as the region’s bread basket, Guyana continues to export fruit and vegetables to other parts of the region. Meanwhile, across the capital and in other coastal communities, vendors have ‘thrown up’ temporary stalls at strategic points to save consumers having to trek to the municipal markets where, social distancing restraints notwithstanding, shopping has remained worryingly, a congested affair.
This, however is not to say that businesses specialising in various types of foods, including fresh fruit and vegetables and agro-produce, are not ‘feeling the pinch’. While ever mindful of the challenges of social distancing, the Stabroek Business has been able to engage some agro-processors and farmers whom we found ready and willing to speak to us on what they all say is a new and challenging experience.
