Market prices move up during SoE

The price of vegetables have been creeping up in markets across the country but don't blame government's national food hamper drive, says Namdevco.

As more people are forced to remain at home during a state of emergency and curfew and the closure of restaurants, roadside vendors, the demand for fresh produce has increased.

Sunday Newsday visited several markets during the week to get an idea of the prices and to also get an insight into the reasons for the increases.

The wholesale market prices listed at the Norris Deonarine Northern Wholesale Market in Macoya showed increases in the price of local yam, celery, chive, hot pepper, melongene, sweet pepper, tomato, carailli, christophene and orange.

Retail vendors at the National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (Namdevco) market in Debe said since the state of emergency went into effect last Sunday, their sales have plummeted.

Reanna Bisnath who purchases goods from wholesalers said believed the price increases were due to the covid19 pandemic and accessibility to goods from farmers.

“I suspect this is happening because of the restrictions but I do not understand it because there isn’t a food shortage in the country.

“I had to cut down on my supply and it is not making any sense for me at this time. The profits are small, and, on some days, there is no profit at all. Sometimes the capital I put out; I don’t make it back,” she said.

Bisnath’s prices on Wednesday were as follows: $15 per pound for sweet pepper, $10 per pound for carailli and bodi, $5 per pound for cucumber, $10 per pound for melongene and $12 per pound for cabbage.

Roger Chaitram, a vendor at the Chaguanas market, had similar prices as Bisnath. He said he was struggling to get goods off his table before they started rotting.

“Because a lot of people are not out and with increases it is harder to sell. There are days where I have to sell at such a low price that I don’t make anything, but I have to get it off my hands.

“It is hard watching the goods rot, so I just have to sell it off,” Chaitram said.

A wholesale vendor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Sunday Newsday that their prices increased because Namdevco was paying significantly more for the goods from farmers in the food hamper programme by government to assist struggling families.

He claimed that such trade-off has forced all round increase in prices for everyone as the farmers preferred to sell to Namdevco if their prices were not met.

“The prices are too high, and all of this is because of Namdevco. So, when they (Namdevco) paying $40 for a bundle of bodi and we can’t, we lose out.

“This has left us in a bind, and we have to pay that price, so now this will be passed down the chain to consumers.”

But Namdevco CEO Nirmalla Debysingh-Persad said the food basket programme had no bearing on the increases as the prices were determined by the farmers and not Namdevco.

“There are some products where there are shortfalls and this is because of weather challenges, but we are using the wholesale prices which the farmers and vendors set.

“We do not make up our own prices and we have been working with farmers who were on the list of certified farmers and have also been engaging with farmers who were not but were able to meet our demands,” Debysingh-Persad said.

Despite the increases, one shopper said there was nothing she could do but purchase the goods because food is a necessity.

The woman, who only wanted to be identified as Shannon, said, “The little bit of money I have, I have to buy the basics and it is very hard.

“I understand it is hard all round and we still supporting the farmers, and I think they should support us to. Many people don’t have jobs and it is a challenge to stretch that dollar to feed a family, some of which are larger than others.”

Some wholesale prices from May 17 to May 19

Item Unit May 17 ($) May 19 ($) $ increase

Local yam kg 6.61 7.92 1.11

Cabbage (imported purple) kg 11.02 13.23 2.21

Large melongene kg 13.23 17.64 4.41

Large sweet pepper kg 22.05 26.46 4.41

Large carailli kg 13.23 15.43 2.20

Christophene kg 4.41 8.82 4.41

Large tomato kg 28.64 30.80 2.16

Celery bundle 45.00 50.00 5.00

Chive bundle 30.00 40.00 10.00

Bodi bundle (5 lbs) 30.00 35.00 5.00

Hot pepper bag (40 lbs) 180.00 300.00 120.00