By Mia Anthony
With the steady rise in the prices of basic food items on the market, one in particular seems to spark conversation amongst citizens both online and in the markets.
While several items in the markets have seen a significant price increase, shoppers and netizens collectively agree that the current price for pumpkin is outrageous. In an effort to investigate the sudden surge in the price for pumpkin, Stabroek News visited the Stabroek and Bourda markets as well as Bounty Supermarket and spoke with vendors and consumers who shared their thoughts on the current prices for pumpkin.
Bourda Market
Stabroek News spoke to three vendors, one of whom sold only pumpkins.
Trevor (only name given) who was selling cuts of pumpkin for $800 and $1000 related, “It really is not the farmers’ fault. We could have gotten more pumpkins for $100,000, but now you are not even getting that much. The regular price would be like $60,000 or $50,000 [but] the climate change and the temperature of the sun causing the greens to go up because the weather is hard.”
It was observed that compared to other pumpkins on the market, Trevor’s was larger in size and when asked how the weather has been affecting the yields he explained, “The pumpkin when it supposed to come with the normal size like what it regularly come with, big like these here, it is not getting to come to that size if the earth don’t have that moisture, it can’t develop the right size so now, we have to invest more.”
Trevor, who is primarily a pumpkin vendor, is known by many within the market for having the “biggest heap” of pumpkins available that he would resell to other vendors, but due to the hike in prices his stocks have dropped significantly.
“This lil bit of pumpkin here cost me a $100,000 this morning. This is a 510 pounds.”
According to Trevor, “a hundred thousand used to give you about a whole heap of pumpkin weighing around 5,000 pounds. We had the biggest heap we used to sell back to other vendors.”
Another vendor who preferred to go by his alias ‘Boyo’ said “The sun make this, the dry weather, everybody know dat it ain’t got no other reason and it’s the farmers’ time.”
Boyo disclosed that he buys his load from the islands in the Essequibo River, with the added cost for transport, fuel, and the added cost for water since it is now drying up due to the immense heat, the farmers have to pay keen attention to their crops to ensure they are getting enough water.
“We aren’t supposed to be arguing you know, because them things have to grow and remember you have to get water. The land is dry [so] they now have to invest more of their time ensuring these crops get adequate water”.
“Whosoever planting pumpkin in this dry weather here them getting money and if these farmers ain’t plant in this weather here see if we gon get any greens pon the market.”
“The water slowing up now so whosoever plant getting the money.”
Boyo pointed out, “Before water was accessible it was like going from here [points to the front of his stall] to there [points to the back of his stall] for water, now it’s like you have to go till pon North Road.”
Kester, another vendor, told this newspaper, “The dry weather you know and you see my pumpkins small. You know at first it was $200 a pound and now it is very small so now when you cut it you have buy to have more product”
“The people are vex with us for cutting the pumpkin, but what we gun do, we had to cut down our quantity as well because of the price the farmers are calling now.”
He explained that he had to make major budget cuts due to the price pumpkin is selling for and his sizes are smaller compared to other vendors, so consumers are more likely to buy bigger cuts for the $800 to $1000 price point for just a cut of pumpkin.
Consumers
Stabroek News spoke to three shoppers in Bourda Market who shared their thoughts on the sudden price hike for only on pumpkin, but vegetables collectively.
Aaliyah McKay said, “I am a mom of three kids and I manage my own household as a single parent. I have a good job yes, but now even $5,000 can’t buy what it used to. Before you could have walk out the market with a bag full of greens Now! You are barely coming out with three things – four if you are lucky.”
Nigel Wayne shared, “I am a father of four kids. I send my wife to the market and before time used to be $15,000 for greens back in the day. Now that does nothing to feed our household, you have to get close to $80,000 alone for supermarket groceries and now $15,000 is play money in the market.”
He complained that he feels stifled in the current economy. “I am very stressed. My two older kids have gotten extra jobs to help out their mom who is now making small things to sell to help.”
“I work my normal job and I do carpentry on the side too.”
Asked how he feels about the pumpkin prices, he said, “Man it is crazy, but what can we do? We got to either buy it or starve.””
Stabroek News also spoke to Lilian Chase and her daughter Janae. Lilian said that she felt that with the way things are going, she may have to start planting her own little kitchen garden. Her daughter, Janae agreed. “I agree. I mean look at the hike in prices [and] the government is saying nothing in relation to this; no forms of relief whatsoever.”
Lilian also noted the financial burden it has become just to put food on the table. “I’d have to agree with Janae here they have been quiet at least to my knowledge many cannot afford to put basic food on the table without breaking yah pockets every month many are no longer living but merely surviving.”
Subsequent checks at Bounty Supermarket on Regent Street revealed that the price for prepackaged pumpkin was $1,037 for a single packet of pumpkin. While no one from Bounty wanted to comment on the price, a customer, Stacey (only name given) said “That’s just outrageous. That is not even a pound plus that can’t cook a good pot of stew to feed a family.”
Stabroek Market
At Stabroek Market, a shopper, Steven Nobrega, related, “I have been walking here for the past 15 minutes, all I have gotten is three items so far and pumpkin is not going to be one of them. Do you see these prices? Who is buying that?”
Vendor, Mark Thomas, noted, “Right now the market steep. I can’t afford load like I used to, not even pumpkin is making sense to buy”
Other vendors, Jane, Anthony, and David, who spoke collectively, all shared that they have been working in the Stabroek Market for as long as they can remember.
“We have been here selling for the longest and this is the first time I felt a squeeze like this I got children to send to school and nothing ain’t doing in this place,” Jane stated.
Anthony noted, “My children them got things to get for Christmas and just now the market is rough, I don’t want to talk about the greens prices my pressure will just go higher.”
David agreed, “My two colleagues basically said it all. Family gotta look after stuff; gotta buy, what we gon do, cry?
The trio however agreed that the farmers cannot be blamed either since they are braving the dry weather to produce greens on a large scale.
