The ups and downs of our fruit and vegetable market
In recent weeks the vagaries of the prevailing weather patterns have seen prices at some of our greens and vegetable markets take off on a rollercoaster ride, though the surfeit of farm produce that has been brought to market very recently has seen a high level of spoilage as bargains continue to far outstrip demand.
Up to about a month ago, vendors in Bourda Market were retailing tomatoes at $400 a pound, while carilla prices were being quoted at $300 per pound, though there were few to be seen, vendors being timid that at those prices much would be left on their hands.
Last Saturday, it was much the same when Stabroek Business visited the Parika Market. The vendors were reporting that while prices were “good” business was “slow.”
Gaitree, a fruit vendor at Parika Market for ten years, has been experiencing the jitters associated with a surfeit of produce and far too few customers. Sundays and Thursdays are market days, she said, and when those days were slow, you begin to worry. This has been a period during which good prices were not attracting customers with the accustomed level of enthusiasm. She has had to lower the prices of her fruit and vegetables in order to stave off spoilage. Next week, she said, could be a tough one for vendors at Parika. Fear of spoilage is likely to see an even further reduction in prices in order to sweeten the deals offered to buyers. She predicted that buyers are likely to get up to five or six boulangers for $100 over the weekend and into next week.
It was much the same with other vegetables. Sweet potatoes (usually among the higher priced ground provisions) could be had at $100 a pound, while shoppers could get up to three pounds of eddoes for $200. Plantain, a high-demand vegetable, and not known to be cheap even at the best of times had slipped to $40 per pound. Wholesalers were asking as little as $500 for a formidable bunch of plantains. A run down on other fruit and vegetable prices revealed as follows: Pumpkin $200 Watermelon $200 Poi (thick-leaf callaloo) four bundles $200 Tomato $140 Cabbage $160 Squash $100 Cucumber five for $100 Pepper $160
Gaitree purchases most of her fruit and vegetables from farmers at Hubu and Parika backdams. The best bargains for eddo, she says, are to be found on the Linden /Soesdyke Highway.
Last week Stabroek Business found that there were only marginal differences in what were, on the whole, favourable prices for fruit and vegetables at Bourda and Parika markets respectively. At Bourda, prices were higher - probably by around $40 – in the instances of plantains and sweet potatoes.
Vicki, a wholesale vendor who plies her trade on Robb Street, between Alexander and Bourda streets, believes that the current glut (and attendant spoilage) may be due to the reduced frequency of fruit and vegetable purchases. Though he could not say why, he believes that there may also have been a loss of both regional and North American markets for local fruit and vegetables.
Since customer fruit and vegetable purchases are inclined to favour cheaper options, Vicki was predicting that for much of the current week and through the weekend ochro and bora would be in high demand. When we checked on Wednesday ochro was being retailed at $60 per pound.
What Stabroek Business observed on the ground this week corresponds largely with market data provided by the Guyana Marketing Corporation a week ago, though what the vendors say has been shrinking demand remains an issue. Understandably, on Wednesday Vicki was in a somewhat sombre mood. It had occurred to him that the fruit and vegetables that remained unsold would not last until the weekend and that spoilage would eat into his takings for the week.