Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Gaël Rangain
Published on 2024-02-26 04:00:54
After the post-Eleanor heatwave, it is currently vegetables that are occupying the conversations of many Mauritians. At Rs 175 for half a kilo of cherry tomatoes at the market, and Rs 100 more expensive in supermarkets, there is a lot to talk about. Week-End was at the Port Louis market yesterday, to see what sells the most during this fasting period, especially for our Hindu compatriots.
“We don’t really have a choice. We are in the middle of fasting, and even though the prices of vegetables continue to rise, we are forced to buy them,” Kailesh tells us. Living on the outskirts of the capital, he tells us that with the announcement of the cyclone, he suspected that prices would skyrocket. “My wife had already bought some vegetables before the cyclone that she kept in the refrigerator, but for the rest, it’s complicated,” he says. While Kailesh understands that the farmers have indeed suffered from the bad weather, he does not understand how prices can be so exorbitant. In the market, many people come, ask for the price and turn their backs immediately. “We understand the customers. Vegetables at the moment are not cheap, but we also have to work and adapt to the market price,” explains a vegetable seller.
Thus, the vegetable basket is quite meager during this period. After the market, we go to a supermarket in the capital. One must count more than Rs 600 for half a kilo of chili, Rs 200 for half a kilo of cherry tomatoes, Rs 200 for cabbage, nearly Rs 100 for spinach, in short, a real fortune. It is no wonder that bagged vegetables are popular. “I am lucky to have a neighbor who is a farmer. He does not charge the same prices as in the city. We pay 30 to 50% less for the vegetables,” says Malini, a resident of the south of the country. “After that, we had already taken a lot of vegetables which we kept in the refrigerator. Cauliflowers, etc. have been blanched and preserved in the fridge. The same for the pumpkin, which I have cut into cubes and stored in the refrigerator. One must be imaginative, because during fasting, we have to find a dish to cook every day.”
And like many Mauritians, Malini buys bagged vegetables. “There are so many varieties now. Broccoli, for example, I buy them in a bag for a maximum of Rs 200, but they will allow me to cook several meals.” For cherry tomatoes, she buys them canned. “It doesn’t change much, because I already used canned cherry tomatoes, but it’s true that to make a satini, we need fresh cherry tomatoes,” she concludes. “Whether at the market or at the supermarket, the prices are the same. I don’t know what to buy anymore. And I wonder how people in precarious situations manage, because if we who are middle class struggle to make ends meet, what happens to them?” wonders Jean-Philippe, a vegetarian.
On social media, many Mauritian consumers are complaining, humorously, denouncing the high prices of chili, stating that it is being sold for over Rs 1,000 per kilo! “Shopping at the market with a broken heart, leaving with vegetables in a bag,” bitterly writes one internet user. “The price of chili has become stronger than the chili itself,” adds another. Still on social media, frozen vegetable brands have taken advantage to boost their marketing strategy by offering online sales.
The ACIM calls for vigilance
According to the Association of Consumers in Mauritius (ACIM), the current vegetable prices in the market are not consistent with the prices auctioneers are practicing. This is what emerges from the investigation carried out by the ACIM at the Wholesale Market in Wooton, as well as in fairs, markets, and supermarkets. Jayen Chellum, the secretary of the association, denounces the abuses of supermarkets and calls on the government to control prices.
“We went to the source, to Wooton, and we compared in different points of sale. For example, zucchini that was sold for Rs 35 per half a kilo in Wooton was selling for Rs 195.95 in a supermarket,” says Jayen Chellum, the secretary of the ACIM. “We were able to see that the market in Curepipe is one of the most expensive in the country. On the other hand, the fair in Rose-Belle offers the most affordable prices,” he says. He thus calls for vigilance. “It has become a habit now to buy vegetables in supermarkets for practical reasons. But supermarkets sell at very high prices. They take advantage of this situation,” he says. Jayen Chellum invites the government to control the prices of imported vegetables that will be subsidized: “Minister Seeruttun announced that there will be a subsidy on imported vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, beans, chili, among others. It is important to ensure that these vegetables are not sold two to three times more expensive later, especially in supermarkets,” he recommends. The ACIM supports that the farmers also have a role to play. “It is true that there was a cyclone and floods, but not all regions were affected in the same way. In addition, many crops are also grown under greenhouses these days,” he points out.
Read the original article(French) on Le Mauricien
