The Scarcity and Rising Costs of Vegetables Impact Christmas Market in The City

Vendors in The City are painting a dismal picture for Christmas in relation to the availability of some vegetables.

They also reported that the cost of produce was skyrocketing so they in turn had no choice but to raise their prices.

The vendors said that sourcing some fruits and vegetables was a headache..

Natasha Thomas, plying her trade along Bridge Street, said sweet potato was among the scarce commodities.

“One of the hardest ones to get is sweet potatoes but it also difficult to get sweet peppers, okras and butternut squash and if you do get them, they real expensive.

“People say we exploiting them but it’s that produce are scarce and we have to buy them at high prices. We end up losing money when people refuse to buy but we still have to give praise and thanks for whatever sells,” she said.

At Fairchild Street, Sandra Findlay said she could barely source christophene and had trouble getting beans, carrots and cucumbers.

“Them things scarce and when you get them, they real expensive so I have to raise my prices. Customers complain but what can I do? Even herbs scarce now,” she said.

Nigel Mayers identified okras, cucumbers and tomatoes as in short supply, saying people needed to plant more food.

“Sweet potatoes have gone up to $6 per pound. You know some people will complain but they have to work with it if the market price has gone up. I have to make a profit, I have bills to pay and I still have to eat,” he said.

At Cheapside, Afua Mercy said it was expensive to farm and the weather was not helping. She said produce such as string beans, peppers, tomatoes and sweet potatoes were hard to find.

“Right now we buying imported tomatoes, 25 pounds for $130, so we have to sell them at $8 a pound but people feel we ripping them off. We need more farmers. Thank God for the non-nationals,” she said.

Princess Gibson laid out a laundry list of issues vendors faced, adding that members of the public were not aware of what they went through to get produce.

“I had to sleep overnight at Edgecumbe Plantation [in St Philip] to get potatoes. Gas gone up, water triple, so how can farmers sell us food cheap? Sweet potatoes are $500 a bag – we still have to make a profit. People come to us and want to skin up their face and go to the supermarkets. The thing is, if you don’t have an order in at the wholesale place, you can’t get anything because the first set of food goes to the hotels and supermarkets. We are the last to get anything,” she said, adding there was no longer any such thing as cheap food.

Lancelot Primus had a grim premonition for the next couple of weeks.

“Potatoes had been off the market for months and only just come back. Cucumbers soon will be gone again, christophene and beans scarce so the next couple of weeks will be dread. I never thought things would get so,” he said.