WHEN they say you are finally benefitting from the fruits of your labour, the same can be said for Mark Elias, a resident of Nabaclis, East Coast Demerara, a mango vendor with more than a dozen mango trees on his property.

That day, the team caught up with Elias when he was picking some ripened mangoes from the trees that had a bountiful bearing despite the rain.

At the time, he was ably assisted by a friend, Carlton Johnson, also a local of the village, who braved the rain to get some mangoes into a large tub from the trees via a long bamboo with a makeshift basket.

For a lot of locals, there is nothing sweeter than enjoying a ripened mango that is freshly picked and it is one of those fruits that is simply irresistible.

The 56-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that the mangoes he picked that day would be transported to Bourda Market, in the city and would be sold based on current market prices.

Elias explained that a vehicle would come for him to transport the load of mangoes to Georgetown and thereafter, he would return to the village.

His agreed price was between six to 10 mangoes for $200, a very pocket-friendly price.

The Nabaclis resident reported that it was not his first harvest of mangoes from that particular tree which is massive in size, a “spice mango” tree which had an abundance of fruit hanging from all branches.

In Elias’s yard, there are more than a dozen mango trees with various species from Buxton spice to long mangoes and when the fruit is in season, his harvests are bountiful. As such, they are too many to consume and he would have to sell it.

He is also a farmer who has a few cows, some ducks and chickens with a spacious yard with lots of fruit trees, including sapodillas.

These are not ordinary trees. The mango trees in this village are huge, the biggest ever seen and there is a landmark tamarind tree in Middle Walk, which serves as a “chill spot” for the locals and one of the biggest sapodilla and cashew trees were also observed in this community.

Shonnet Williams
The team also met Shonnet Williams, a local of the “backdam” area whose punishment revolves around the muddy dam she has to access to her house, one of a handful of residents there.

She told the Pepperpot Magazine quite hesitantly that there are five families residing at the location where the dam leads to the vast backlands area, and due to the condition of the road and the dam, they are facing a lot of hardships, basically access.

Williams was at the time returning home after taking her daughter to school and had to return because the child’s uniform was wet from the heavy rainfall that morning.

She was tasked with taking a fresh set of dry clothes for her and related that she would have to despite the rain that day.

The mother of four added that for as long as she can remember, the road has been in a terrible state and it has gotten worse over time and it is a place where the taxis refuse to go, so walking is the only option.

“My cousin, who is a doctor, a neighbour had to leave this village due to the road because it is hard to get in and out and buses don’t come here and the taxis don’t either; so one has to walk more than a mile in this pot-holed road with large puddles to the public road to get transportation,” she said.

Williams related that they are desperate for an upgrade of the road and with that, it will improve their lives significantly.

She stated that her main issue is access and for this reason a lot of people left the village and a lot of people quit farming in the backlands because of the impassable access dam. Getting produce out is difficult and is a heavy burden.

Williams added that the village is rich in agriculture and produces a lot of fruits, especially mangoes and it is sad to see them go to waste without being harvested, due to lack of access.