Stabroek News spoke to members of the public in Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice, Region about the rising cost of living and how it is affecting them. The following are their comments:
Interviews and photos by Subhana Shiwmangal
Liloutie Ramlochan
Liloutie Ramlochan, a 48-year-old housewife said: “When I receive money from both my son and husband, I would put aside some money to pay the bills when the month come. Besides that, our housewives are suffering because when we finish buying groceries and pay the utility bills, we can’t get nothing for ourselves. My son, who is one of the providers for the home, is not working because of a recent accident at his workplace. My daughter used to work but for a while she hasn’t been working, she’s assisting me with taking care of my son now. The cost for all food items has increase in the market; everything gone up. My family of four is trying to cope with the cost of living, not everything we will get to buy that we need. Plenty things I have to cut down on that I need; you can’t buy everything because the prices for the food items sold in the shops are costly. The prices for grocery items gone up more than the fish and so. For example, a pound of garlic cost about $100 and something/ $200 before; now a pound of garlic cost $500. On the road, a couple months back I could have gotten 20/15 strands of bora in a parcel for $100; now I’m buying a parcel of bora that consist of 6/7 which cost $600 now to feed my family. Even the cost for tennis rolls gone up. People are giving you a small cut of pumpkin for $300 now; before I could have gotten a bigger cut for $200. The government should look into the high cost of living.”
