Although global fertiliser prices have started dropping over the past week, local farmers are appealing to the Agriculture Minister to subsidise the cost of chemicals and fertilizers they need for food production.
They say if the Government fails to intervene, consumers will have to bear the brunt of more price hikes in local produce.
The price of fresh produce has risen steadily over the past weeks, with melongene, ochroes, cabbages and sweet peppers among the most affected.
Farmers blame incessant, heavy rainfall and the rising cost of production for the increases.
A Guardian Media news team visited the NAMDEVCO Wholesale Market in Macoya around 5 am on Wednesday and spoke to farmers from different parts of the country.
Earlier this week, melongene prices peaked at $20 per pound on the wholesale market. But yesterday, consumers were given a small break, with vendors offering it for $14 to $16 per pound. The price of bodi remained consistent, with vendors offering a large bundle for between $45 to $50. Cabbage prices fluctuated slightly between $8 to $10.
But sweet peppers reigned supreme, with little supply and high demand, the crunchy vegetable was sold for $20 per pound.
Sweet pepper farmer Surendra Ramjag, who came from Caratal, Gasparillo, to sell his produce, acknowledged that the rising prices would be difficult for some consumers to bear.
“First time I selling sweet peppers at that price but at the end of the day, I know it really hard for consumers,” Ramjag said.
He said farmers were also struggling to cope with the increased production costs.
“The prices of chemicals, the prices of fertilizer increased by about 200 per cent, at the end of the day, it is hard for consumers, the business needs to be sustainable for farmers too.”
He said hot peppers and pimento peppers were still reasonably priced but he warned prices could increase soon.
Nigel Singh, a cabbage farmer from Arima, said many farmers were not able to cover the cost of production.
“They not really doing anything for farmers yet to subsidise on the chemicals to bring the crop. When they raise the salt price and chemical price, that will be the outcome,” he said about the price increase.
Despite the small amounts of the leafy vegetable at the market, Singh said he was forced to reduce his price from $10 to $8 per head, as his sales had slowed considerably.
“We selling for eight dollars because the market not so flooded with people, so we trying to get it off our hands now,” he said.
Singh said farming was very labour intensive and many external factors could influence whether a farmer makes a profit, breaks even or loses on their investment.
“Sometimes you have to undersell because of a surplus on the market. When you do that, you are not even making back the money that you put out. We always on the go, either in the garden or out here selling and it is very hard to spend to bring a crop just to see flood cover it or pest take it, or it have so much on the market you have to beg people to buy,” Singh said.
Another farmer, who gave his name only as Rahim, was selling melongene at $14 per pound. He explained that in addition to selling his produce, he purchases items from other farmers to resell. He too warned of impending price increases.
“Most likely, everything is going to go up. The farmers getting real problems in the garden, chemicals going up, price of things going up because a man can’t invest his money in chemicals and go out there and his goods flooding out and he can’t make back his money,” Rahim said.
He advised consumers to choose their produce carefully if they cannot afford certain vegetables.
Pumpkin farmer Brian Goolcharan was also anticipating prices will increase. He grows his produce in Cunupia and explained that with heavy rains over the weekend, many farmers in his area were hard hit.
“Up until Sunday night, the whole of Chin Chin flood out, we lost plenty goods,” Goolcharan said.
He said squash was being sold at $5 per pound while larger pumpkins were being sold at $3 per pound.
“I am sure by next week it will be $4, the price of chemical now, salt, is ridiculous, $600 for one bag of salt and the prices just going up and going up more,” he said.
Goolcharan said increased rainfall also means less yield for farmers.
“With the massive rainfall, we getting quarter of the production on our produce, so that is why the prices will be higher than usual.”
One bodi farmer, who asked to remain anonymous, said his yield had dropped by about 70 per cent. Pointing to the small heaps of bodi he had laid out for sale, he explained how the increased rainfall affects his crop.
“In this field of bodi, we will pick about 150 bundles to 200 bundles of bodi, right now, we picking 50 to 60 bundles of bodi because of the rain, the flowers keep dropping off, the bodi wilting, quailing and it dying, hence the reason for the price being higher than usual,” he said.
Patchoi farmer Seema Harripersad said the wholesale price had been $10 per bundle over the past several months. She said the price started to fluctuate since the rainy season started.
“Yesterday, I sell $12, you can’t vex when they call a price because sometimes you plant 12 crates, you only reaping a certain amount, you not reaping what you supposed to get and the price of chemical, every day it going up,” Harripersad said.
Guardian Media tried contacting Agriculture Minister Kazim Hosein yesterday but he did not respond to calls.