As Linden strike continues...Gasoline, food prices soar at Mahdia

As Linden strike continues…Gasoline, food prices soar at Mahdia

Jul 26, 2012 News

As the ‘shutdown’ in Linden continues, the prices for commodities in neighbouring mining district, Mahdia, have increased. Miners and residents believe wholesalers are exploiting them during this turmoil.
Besides air transport, which is expensive, cargo and people could only enter Mahdia via road. However, with protesters blocking the roads in Linden access to Mahdia has been impeded.
The protest, which originally targeted electricity rates increase in Linden, on Wednesday last, now includes the senseless killing of three residents- Selwyn Boyea, Ron Somerset, and Allen Lewis- by ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
According to a Mahdia businesswoman and member of the Guyana Women Miners’ Organization, Juliet Parsaram, wholesalers of grocery and fuel in Mahdia are exploiting miners and residents.
She noted that the cost for food items has increased. One pound chicken now costs $800 and one pound eddo costs $150.
“We used to pay $52,000 for a drum diesel some businessmen want between $65,000 and $80,000 for the same drum diesel. The cost for a gallon of gasoline has increased from $3,000 to $3,500.
“These prices are unreasonable; not everyone could afford to pay them. If this crisis continues we may have to pay more. Government really needs to intervene,” Parsaram said.
But wholesalers claim that they are forced to increase their prices because of the high cost attached to transporting goods via air and fuel through the trail from Bartica to Mahdia.
In relation to food items, a wholesaler said that wholesalers are unable to transport large volumes of goods by air transport. In addition, this mode of transport is costly.
The trail being used to transport fuel from Bartica to Mahdia is deteriorated, as such, truckers are charging exorbitant amounts. The Cassandra Crossing, an old bridge, which miners are calling to be resuscitated, lacks maintenance.
According to GWMO’s President, Simona Broomes, the exploitation of miners and residents in Mahdia would not have occurred if the Cassandra Crossing (the Denham Suspension Bridge at Garraway Stream) was operational. Broomes stated that for over 10 years miners have been advocating for the bridge to be rehabilitated but nothing has been done.
Instead, commuters have to travel from Georgetown to Mango Landing and then to Mahdia.
Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Robeson Benn noted that owing to the lack of funds the structure and surrounding area have not been rehabilitated.
According to a wholesaler, even if the Cassandra Crossing was operational, transporting goods via that trail would be too costly. Therefore, accessing Mahdia using the Mabura trail and crossing the river at private operated Mango Landing is more cost effective.
However, for many, the argument remains that there should be another entrance or exit to Mahdia.
According to Operations Manager, Kevin Ramotar of Mekdeci Mining Company, of the five crossings operated by the company, only Teperu Crossing located in Bartica is not affected. The crossings at Sherima, Omai, Mango Landing and Kurupukari have experienced significant revenue loss.
Ramotar related that the company has over 100 employees at these locations and transporting food and other materials for their sustenance via Bartica is quite costly.

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