An oversupply of produce led to an unprecedented drop in prices that reached an all-time low on Christmas Eve at the Southern Wholesale Market in Debe.
However, despite the enticing prices, there was a noticeable scarcity of shoppers at the market.
Rough skin lemons sold for $2 each, while six oranges sold for $20. Peppers dropped to an all-time low, according to vendors, with 50 peppers being retailed for $20. Sweet bell peppers, which usually sell for $20 per pound, sold for $8 per pound, while big bundles of bodi sold for $6. Forty ochroes sold for $10 while large apples went at $4 each.
Speaking to Guardian Media, vendor Vernon Bharath said they had no choice but to sell cheap as there was a glut of produce on the market.
“Prices go up and down. Last year, sweet peppers were $25 per pound. Hot peppers used to be $250 per bag but it’s $100 this week,” Bharath said.
He said flooding causes the prices to increase but this year there were no floods.
“I am selling very cheap today because I planned as well, so I can sell at whatever price,”
He said people were also looking closely at prices before they buy.
“People will walk around the market and check prices and then come back and buy,” he said.
Farmer Chabinath Ramnanan said he was disheartened by the sluggish sales.
“People are not buying! Whether the prices are cheap or expensive, people are just not buying,” Ramnanan lamented.
He added, “I am missing my customers every week. I thought they were probably sick but then they told me they cannot come to buy every week, so they come once a fortnight or month.”
Ramnanan said farming was becoming very risky and it was a career he did not want for his son.
“We, the farmers, are facing great challenges in survival. The cost of production is rising rapidly. Sometimes I feel it’s daily we get price changes. Sometimes when we make a nice bumper crop, we get beat in the market because we cannot get the price, so we cannot recover what we put out,” Ramnanan said.
However, those shoppers who capitalised on the reduced prices found themselves experiencing an early Christmas delight.
Rance Rajaram said he had fun buying goods in the market.
“The market is excellent, everybody is buying because prices are cheap. People are shopping, there is music and we having a nice time,” he exclaimed.
He also expressed satisfaction with the high quality of produce.
Shamshoon Ramnarine also agreed that the produce was of superior quality.
“The prices are reasonable compared to previous weeks. Christmas is tomorrow and we are getting good things. I am enjoying it,” she said.
Agricultural Society president Darryl Rampersad was not available for comment. However, agronomist Akanath Singh said farmers had a bountiful harvest as there were no floods.
“We make history in T&T this year. It’s the first time we ever had a heat wave in the rainy season. Every year, peppers cross $1000 a feedbag during Christmas but it didn’t reach that this year because crops didn’t die from floods. I am not seeing any complaints about high food prices anywhere,” he said.
The only crop that remained high was tomatoes, which sold for $20 per pound.
