Uncapped 111: They were there too

Zalenda Persaud and Narine Persaud Farmers of Bengal Corentyne

Two years after the staging of the first ever UncappeD event at the Sophia Exhibition Centre, the third such display and marketing of products from across the sub-sectors, this time, at the Providence Stadium, offered glimpses of both longevity and newness, of struggle and of survival. Here is a synopsis of the stories we were told by business owners who showed up with their products last weekend:

Narine Persaud: Farmer, Bengal Coren-tyne: Several years after returning Narine made his first ever appearance at UncappeD offering boulanger, sweet pepper, and a good deal more to buyers. Seven or eight huge boulanger for $1,000 was Narine’s deal of the day. Over the past two years Narine has had to use his ‘scientific knowledge’ of farming to push back against crop diseases and flooding. He has also learnt to live with the ebb and flow of market demand. He believes that his four-acre farm continues to serve him well, having survived the near complete loss of all of his farm produce to the 2021 May/June rains.