RADHICA DE SILVA
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Vendors at the Southern Wholesale Market in Debe say they have been forced to reduce their prices, selling below cost price and in some cases giving away produce because people simply cannot afford to buy.
Vegetable prices soared high this week with tomatoes selling for $25 a pound, sweet peppers at $30 a pound and melongene at $22 a pound.
Yesterday, small locally grown tomatoes sold for two pounds for $12. However, the price of seasonings remained high with parsley selling for $140 a bundle, celery $10 a bundle and chive $12.
Ricky Ragoonanan, who sold the cheapest tomatoes at $6 and $12 a pound, said: "We have been selling under the cost price because people just cannot afford to buy.
"Produce that I have in the garden, I will give away but what I buy, I have to sell because I have to make back the money that I spend."
He said his tomatoes may not be pretty but because they were cheap many customers were flocking to buy them.
Cucumbers sold for $8 per pound while sorrel sold for $15 a pound.
Anuskha Boodram said she had slashed prices. Usually ginger sells for $25 per pound around Christmas, but Boodram said ginger sold as low as $15.
"Most farmers say they have to increase their prices because everything went up---fertilizer and chemical prices, the price of gas plus damages from floods.
"Sales have slowed down a lot over the past few months because of how expensive everything is. Many people lost their jobs too so they cannot buy as before," she said.
Although the vendors and farmers tried to keep the prices as low as possible, many elderly people said they could not buy everything they needed.
Beverly Simeon, a visitor from New York who was shopping for her mother, said the prices were ridiculous.
"If she didn't have me working abroad, I don't know how she would survive on her pension," Simeon said.
Another elderly customer, Cynthia Mohammed, said she had no choice but to buy.
"Things are really expensive but what we go do? We still have to buy it if we leave it what we go eat? I am sorry for people who have no jobs. What they going to do? What about those who have five and six children and they have no work?" she said.
Radica Choon, of Princes Town, said she could not plant a backyard garden
"I'm not well so I cannot afford to plant. I'm not able to plant at home," she said.
Market vendor Navin Silo said recent floods had negatively affected prices.
"We selling celery for $10, chive for $12 and bandanya (chadon beni) for $20 a bundle. Parsley is going for $140," he said.
Asked why the seasonings are so expensive, Sidoo said: "Flood, too much flood. It hardly have seasoning."
Earlier this week, Agriculture Minister Kazim Hosein said his ministry is seeking ways to reduce the cost of meat while ensuring high-quality purchases. He said they also hoped to keep vegetable prices down.
Hosein said through the National Agriculture Marketing Development Company (Namdevco), consumers can deal directly with fruit and vegetable farmers to purchase products.