Post-Belal: vegetable sellers want financial allocation

According to the president of the Market Traders Association, several vegetable sellers are technically unemployed. They therefore find themselves in a precarious financial situation. Faced with the shortage of vegetables following the passage of cyclone Belal, the president of the Market Traders Association (MTA), Isoop Soobadar, requests that merchants benefit from a financial allowance . He wants a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Government, Anwar Husnoo.

Due to a lack of enough vegetables, most merchants are unemployed. “At the central market, only 75 merchants have work, the rest have nothing to sell,” laments Isoop Soobadar. Consequence: vegetable sellers are faced with major financial problems.

Even before Cyclone Belal, Isoop Soobadar points out, there was a shortage of certain vegetables on the market due to torrential rains. Today, the situation has significantly deteriorated. “This makes the life of vegetable sellers more and more difficult,” he says.

And he added: “If the growers cannot supply the market with enough vegetables, it will certainly have a negative impact on us. » This is why he asks that the government grant a financial allowance to vegetable sellers to give them a helping hand during this difficult period. “Besides household expenses, we have bills, we have other expenses and with a drastic drop in our income, it is difficult for us to make ends meet. Hence our request for an allowance like the one that fishermen receive when they cannot go to sea because of bad weather,” he said.

According to Isoop Soobadar, traders cannot be blamed for the rise in vegetable prices. He states that contrary to popular belief, the more prices rise, the more they experience a drop in sales. And if he concedes that it is a shortage of vegetables which is currently causing a surge in prices on the market, he is surprised that the “giraumon”, which was harvested well before the bad weather, has also experienced a significant increase in price. price at auction.

He assures that merchants are doing their best to make fresh vegetables available to consumers. “The situation is really difficult, but I think that if the weather continues to improve, several varieties of vegetables will be back on the market within around twenty days,” he emphasizes.

Powdered milk and canned fish: no price increase according to Commerce

The Ministry of Trade and Consumer Protection indicates that no increase in the maximum selling prices of different brands of milk powder and canned fish has been implemented since the beginning of the year, as stated in an article published in Le Défi Quotidien on Friday January 26, 2024.

The currently approved maximum retail prices for the mentioned brands of milk powder and canned fish are detailed in the table below:

The ministry informs the public that the prices of 26 essential products, including powdered milk and canned fish, are regulated. He invites the public to report any excess of approved prices to the Consumer Affairs Unit at 460-2500 or on the helpline: 185.