How the cost of living is affecting people

$2,000, a few months ago it was $1,700. Then there’s tiles and so forth, everything gone up.”

John Persaud

John Persaud, a 59-year-old confectionery vendor said: “The rising cost of living is not affecting Guyana to an extent like how it is affecting other countries. In other countries, the rising cost of living is worst compared to Guyana. However, basic things like cooking oil has risen because before a gallon bottle of oil cost $1,500, now that same bottle of oil cost $2,800. Everything gone up. I think the government has enough money to help the people, seeing that we are producing oil in Guyana now. It doesn’t make sense the government building the roads and other things in Guyana when some people would not live to benefit from these things. They should focus more on making foodstuff affordable to the people. Another thing they can do is to drop the pension age to 60 years instead of 65 years because most people don’t live to see that age.”

Orande Belonie

Orande Belonie, a 44-year-old bus driver said: “I find that food items are expensive to buy for kids in the market. By the time I get to the supermarket, $5000 done. I have to save because everything gone up. If it’s not a necessity, I can’t buy it because I have to limit myself to what I buy. Even the meat prices gone up; a pound of chicken now is $400, before it was about $300 a pound; two pounds of beef now is $2,000, before it was less. I think the government should look into the price people are selling their items at and carry out a personal check to determine why the prices are high on our basic food items. I don’t think paddy price is high, so I don’t know why the feed price gone up high.”

Desiree Garraway

Desiree Garraway said: “The rising cost of living is affecting a lot of people because everything in the supermarkets and market gone sky high. Could you imagine one boulanger is $250 now and before I use to get three or four boulanger for $200? Even down to the small pack Natura milk is expensive in the supermarket. A small pack of Natura milk is $760 now, before it was $400 and $500 a pack. Some people have kids to go to school and have to provide bus fares for their kids, lesson fees, snacks and their salaries are small. It’s no big money they working for, because the job is paying little. I don’t have a problem with what the government is doing for the people, but they could see how they can investigate the prices of items sold both in the supermarkets and markets since a lot of single parents who have three or four children, can’t afford to buy groceries and greens in the markets/supermarket since the prices are high on everything.”

Sachi Bushram

Sachi Bushram, a 31-year-old clothes vendor said: “The cost of living is really high on basic items we use daily. Look at the cooking oil price.

A big bottle Wesson cooking oil now cost $4,000 and something, before it was $3,000 and something for the same bottle. A bag of rice is like $2,000 now.

Before it was $ 1,300, $1,400 for a bag of rice. To me, the basic items that you need should not be so expensive.

Even a small pack of Fernleaf milk cost $1,000 now; before it was $ 700 and something. There are three of us living in the home but it’s not easy to buy these things because they are expensive. These basic necessity that we use on a daily basis, the government should reduce the VAT on those things so these basic things can be affordable to everyone.”

Alexis Jordan

Alexis Jordan, a 37-year-old owner of a clothes stall said: “I see that the greens prices are suitable to us; it gone down a little which is good. But the prices on basic commodities are high. A big pack Thunderbolt flour now is S500, $600 and something, before the price was less.

Things that you need gone up. A small pack Natura milk was $440, now I’m paying $660 for the small pack. Things really hard. Sometimes I go to the shop with $15,000 and I’m not seeing the items for the money I’m paying. I really want know if it’s true that we are producing oil in this country because things are really expensive, especially the basic groceries we need daily.

I think the government need to make things a little cheaper on basic commodities we use every day because the rising cost of living is affecting everyone. Despite we own a business or not, things are hard on everyone.”