Dear Editor,
PLEASE allow me to share my views on the above issues as the prices for cash-crop produce are skyrocketing in the markets on a daily basis.  Many took to social media to blame the government for the issue at hand and forget that there is nothing in place to properly ensure that customers get a fair price on the resale market of the produce.

Many will want to blame the cash-crop farmers but, no, they are not to be blamed or are at fault for the rise in the prices of their produce on almost a daily basis by the vendors.  The buyers of the cash-crop produce are taking high advantage of the farmers and selling at nearly triple the price they are paying to the farmers.

Because the buyers are taking advantage of the farmers, the vendors also have to make a profit and it goes down to the locals in the street who buy the products from the vendors at a high price.

The buyers are the ones who are creating the situation for cash crops that are reselling at the market to be at that high price and the quantity of the produce is small in amount, because the vendors have to ensure they live by making a profit.

The buyers are tripling the prices of cash crops almost on a daily basis to the vendors.  Let’s take for example and in Guyanese terms, shallot. Buyers are paying those farmers $200.00 per pound.  The buyers will then take that very $200.00 per pound and resell it to the vendors for around $600.00 per pound and if they sell it themselves, they will sell a pound for around $700.00.

So, the buyers are making around two times more than what they are buying from the farmers.  In fact, the buyer makes more at times and exploits the farmers because some of the times they will return to the farmers and pay them less than what they told they will pay, by saying that the market is bad, but yet for all they sell it at almost triple the price.

A buyer will take the least four bags of that item to the market and each bag will consist of 100 pounds.  So, do the calculation when those very buyers are saying that the market is bad and they’re underpaying the farmers, plus raising the price.

Because of the buyers, the vendors have to sell at a high price to the customers, and at times if it’s less than a pound, they will put a small amount just to recapture their investment and make a profit.

That is just one of the cash-crop produce I dealt with, so my brothers and sisters, you picture for the rest of the produce the advantage the buyers are taking on the farmers and vendors at hand.  So, I won’t deal with more of the items and mention the advantage taken on us by the buyers.

We cannot blame the government for what the buyers are doing to us because there was no system before in place to deal with such a situation.  But mechanisms can be put in place to ensure that those very buyers resell produce at a more reasonable price to the vendors.

I think that the Ministry of Agriculture should step up onwards in ensuring that all the cash-crop buyers are registered and from that register, then take the necessary steps in ensuring that the buyers do not take advantage of the farmers, vendors, and customers by setting the price tones in the various cash crops.

I am confident that the Hon Zulfikar Mustapha MP, Minister of Agriculture, is going to look into this matter as those produce are skyrocketing because of the advantage taken by the buyers.

I am also certain that because of the area where I am living those buyers will attack me for putting the truth out as they are taking advantage of the situation.

Yours sincerely,
Abel Seetaram