We expected the worst after the torrential rains last Sunday, but to the great relief of consumers, vegetable prices are still stable. However, we will have to wait within two weeks to know how the situation evolves.
According to planters, if at first glance, the crops have not been affected, they nevertheless argue that we must wait a fortnight to know the consequences of these heavy rains on the young shoots. “It is certain that the next production will not be affected, so there will be plenty of vegetables on the market. Prices will continue to fall, but we will also have to take into account an uncertain climatic situation,” it is said.
We also expect that prices will gradually drop in the coming week, since the season will be more favorable for production. However, as Dannysen Coopoosamy, market gardener at the Port-Louis market, explains, we should not expect prices to drop drastically as was the case in the past. “In addition to the harmful effects of climate change, the cost of fertilizers has more than doubled, not to mention that transport costs have increased. As a reminder, we have to go to Wooton to collect our vegetables,” he explains.
For their part, consumers breathe a sigh of relief, because they feared an increase in vegetable prices. Many of them are stocking up because they fear that the situation will change in the days to come. “At any time, we can have torrential rain which seriously affects the plantations and pushes up prices,” says a housewife. The latter deplores the fact that the working population continues to become poorer day by day. “We are obliged to reduce our purchases in order to balance our budget,” adds our interlocutor who points out that an increase in vegetable prices would have been fatal for the most vulnerable in society.
