How the Cos
Part 66
Stabroek News spoke to members of the public in Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara about the rising cost of living and how it is affecting them. The following are their comments:
Navindra Mangro
Navindra Mangro, a 20-year-old machine operator said: “The cost of living is not affecting me much because my father and I are not home often, we work offshore. When we are home, we buy food items in and out. Right now, the cost for vegetables is expensive in the market. Even the cost for a water coconut is costly. For example, a water coconut some time last year cost $100; now the water coconut cost close to $300. Then there are plantains, a pound of plantains before cost about $100 and something; now a pound of plantains cost $300 and something. I’m a family of four, including my mother, father and brother and everyone works but even though everyone contributes toward the home, we sometimes find the cost-of-living hard when purchasing food items, but what you gon do about it? You can’t do anything. You just have to cope with the cost of living. The government should reach out more with the farmers and vendors to come up with solution to have the cost for food items reduce.”
Minnawattie, a 43-year-old housewife said: “The cost of living is affecting my family a lot because sometimes the money that you work for is not enough and when you go to the shop to buy some items, your money finish. The cost for rice and so all has risen. When you think that a big bag Karibee rice is sold for $6,200 like it was a few months ago, it’s not; now the same bag of rice cost $7,800. Last month, I bought a 20-lbs cylinder cooking gas for $4,300; this month the same gas cost $4,600. Even the cost for a small Natura milk has increased. I’m a family of 11 person including my nine children and husband. My hus- band and three of my children are working, while three of them go to school and the rest are school dropouts who are currently home doing nothing. We don’t have our own home; we are renting but our money is not enough to build a home. I think the government should see with the poor people about the rising cost of living because it’s not the rich people suffering, it’s the poor people who don’t have a good income coming in; especially who has a lot of children living in renting place and don’t have their own house.”
Cheryl Fraser
Cheryl Fraser, a 62-year-old housewife said: “The cost of living is high because the prices for food items in the shop has increased. My husband is a pensioner and the money is not enough when buying food items. I’m a family of seven. My son and daughter along with her three children are living with us. My son is working part time and my daughter works full time. They all try their best to contribute toward the home which I’m grateful for, but still the cost of living is very high. It’s like you want to go to the shop but you are afraid to because if you go to the shop, instead of spending $10,000, you spend $30,000 or $40,000. Right now, the cost for chicken has increased at the shops. It’s not only Guyana feeling the rising cost of living because since Covid 19, the whole world is experiencing the high cost of living. We just have to cope with it by taking it one day at a time. The cost for vegetables fluctuates a lot in the market. Even the cost for other grocery items has increase in the market. For example, last year Christmas a 20l