-Consumers on increased cost of living
Over the recent weeks a number of concerns have been raised on several social media platforms as it related to the price hikes of food items.
Many persons have expressed shocked over the gradual increase of basic food items such as butter, oil and cheese among others.
News Update took to the streets of Georgetown where persons were carrying out their day to day duties and asked them the simple question "how are you coping with the increase in cost of living?"
Here is what the public had to say:
CITIZEN 1:
"Cost of living in the country is very difficult for us because we working with private company and they don’t even give the workers a raise of pay until over a period of time and then the cost of living jumping up so rapidly is like we does be pushed to a point where we don’t know where to turn we just trying to get ends meet from time to time but this is really difficult if you check it carefully well if it keep going up we will get a more difficult live too is not something we can cope with easily it difficult.’’
CITIZEN 2:
"I just pay $1200 for a food wa I use to pay $600 for and we break the year real soft nothing ain’t doing business ain’t doing and all these kind of thing we in a state where I don’t know what to say ..well I don’t really know I is just a day to day person as I get money I spend you site the year break real soft and thing and the cost of living real high so da is the problem ..i just groaning I just buy a fish stew and I groaning."
CITIZEN 3:
"Rice dare, sugar dare everything where that carrying we not to hell to hell that carrying we everything raise up I ain’t know because I planting me own thing in me yard to get the greens and me provisions but wa go happen to the poor that on the street and ain’t got nothing they ga beg.’’
CITIZEN 4:
"The prices is very high in the supermarket I sometime pick up something at the market because you paying vat at the supermarket well you gotta do what you gotta do remember it affecting those that don’t have a business muchless those who got one it still hard on you we use to buy a small pack of ham it raise I would usually go and buy my lettuce and some mint bushes and so all these things were $200 now is $400..yes it very hard for you cope with but wa you go do you ga try sometime you not able to buy some thing for $400 you ga buy $200."
CITIZEN 5:
"With the goods price I can’t cope with da cause I use to pay $300 for a oil now is $720 I ga pay for the same $320 oil and things hard with me I am a single parent it hard on me rice from $13 something gone to $21 something for da lil Caribbean rice them only know to talk about the plantain and greens on the market why they don’t go into them supermarket and see and talk about that right."
However the Food and Agriculture Organization in a report noted that Guyana is not the only country which has seen an increase in price of goods.
According to the FAO the pandemic has had an effect on supply and a delay in shipping which contributed to the increases.
