COVID-19 a blessings for fruit vendors, businesswise

Jul 07, 2020 News

Local market vendors have been boasting high sales in fruits since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Guyana on March 11. These high sales in fruits stem from health advisories being shared across Guyana, which is entailing that certain fruits can build your immune system and possibly prevent individuals from being tackled by the virus.

Stabroek Market

Kaieteur News spoke with a few vendors from the Kitty, Stabroek and Bourda Markets who expressed that they were very impressed by the sales they received for certain fruits, mainly lemon, lime, pineapples and oranges.
A 56-year-old vendor at the Stabroek Market said that in her 25 years of vending, this is the most she has ever sold within three months. She added that, “I know many people who are out of a job currently. I’m not sure how bad the economy was affected but what I know for a fact is that we fruit vendors got to be grateful.”
A few other vendors told this paper that even though there are limited hours for market sales, they are still making out quite well. While vendors of other products explained that the limited hours can be of some inconvenience at times, they understand that upholding the COVID-19 guidelines is the only thing they can do to prevent further spread of the virus. They further added that whether business is booming or not, they are still grateful for being able to come out and sell.
Another vendor of the Stabroek Market who gave her name as “Joycie” claimed to have sold over 500 pounds of lemons and oranges since March to now. In speaking with Kaieteur News, she said, “Out of all the people that come to my stall is just a few that wouldn’t ask for orange or lime. I think everybody wanna eat good right now cause you never know until it’s too late.” She also added that even though she carries her items in a sanitary manner, she still encourages her customers to wash their items when they get home.
Even with all the positivity, some expressed that the wearing of masks has taken a toll on them. They also complained that the police force has been making their jobs a bit harder because some of them are being harassed. One vendor said, “you cannot even take your mask off to drink some water. They are ready to pounce on you and arrest you”. While it has brought some sort of discomfort for the vendors, they concluded that they are fine with the situation nevertheless.

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