Latest update January 5th, 2025 4:10 AM
Latest News
- Jagdeo must explain how Gas-to-Energy project is feasible with final cost still unknown- Norton
- ‘Citizens who wish to enter the political race should not be threatened’ – Nigel Hughes
- Biden notifies US Congress of planned $8bn arms sales to Israel: Reports
- Guyanese Silence Fuels Exploitation
- Senegal to end all foreign military presence in 2025
Declining production at Wales Estate affects market vendors
Ten years ago, vendors at the Wales market could not have complained about sales through the high production at the sugar factory.
But that changed when the factory started to process less sugar cane.
From time to time the said factory would face mechanical issues or have to contend with workers going on strike thus affecting the production level.
As a result, persons employed at the corporation were and are still being affected by the alarming dip in the output. It has not only been changing the lives of its workers but also the international market. 
For many years it has become a custom for vendors to ply their trade every Friday at a location next to the said factory.
Those vendors depend solely on sales from workers at the estate.
According to them, sales have drop tremendously when compared to six years ago when sugar cane was being processed at a higher level.
Vanessa Jones, who claimed that she has been selling at the market for the past nine years, could remember looking forward to Friday market.
“I use to sell more that $40,000 on market day and now I only sell $3,500” she exclaimed.
Some vendors were even forced to close their stalls and seek other means of survival.
A man who gives his name as Rampersaud told Kaieteur News that when the estate was producing at a high level, he used to kill more than four pigs to sell at the market and now given the way production is, he only sells half of a pig.
“This market use to be the biggest on the West Bank on Fridays, and since the estate is facing different problems, the workers are not getting money to shop,” Rampersaud confirmed.
Some food vendors even complained about having to return home with all of the meals they have prepared to sell.
Even the cool-down carts operators have been voicing their frustrations over the volume of sales.
An operator who requested to remain anonymous declared that even his ice that is used to make snow cones melts most of the time. “Most of the people around here work at the estate and when the factory experience problem the people not getting money to come and buy,” he alleged.
Their claims were evident yesterday, as the once overcrowded market street was occupied with only vendors. A few persons were seen walking around.
One lady mentioned that she came out around mid morning to sell but up to 03:30pm she had not made one sale.
A few days ago, thirty sugar cane workers from the mechanical tillage gang at the said Estate went on strike, over the implementation of the “peace rate” system. Their Union has since made plans to meet with GuySuCo to determine the way forward. This is those one instance of the vendors’ plight.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
The PPP is in self-destructive mode
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News –The PPPC is not some scrappy garage band trying to book a gig at the Seawall Bandstand.... more
Forget Begging Rich Nations: Caribbean Countries Should Act to Save Themselves
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- It has long been evident that the world’s richest nations, especially those responsible... more
Weekend Cartoon
