LOCAL: Chatsworth sellers upset with rise in potato and veggie prices
Tell us the truth, do you love potatoes or what?
As a community we all have faced the brunt of the price increases. Of course, when it comes to the rise in fuel prices, there is a domino effect on pretty much everything - most importantly food.
Many South Africans have had to readjust their lifestyles when it comes to their choices of food and brands. For some families it's not about the brand love or preference, but rather the price.
"This week, the Transvaal Agricultural Union of South Africa (TLU SA) warned that higher prices for fuel and fertiliser were making it more expensive to farm, and these costs would have to be recovered from consumers." (IOL)
Just another added cost to the budget that we have to bear as consumers...
But let's choose to stand up and find a way around it. The thing is this isn't the first time that we have had to fork out more for food, but as South Africans, the one thing we have in common is resiliency.
For more from East Coast Radio
Because these are first-grade potatoes, you do expect to pay a little more compared to second grade. However, we are now paying between R190 to R195 for a 10kg pocket. Previously, we used to pay between R70 and R100, depending on the size. We cannot increase our mark-up by much because we will lose customers, so we are settling on a profit of about R20. But this barely covers our fuel costs, which have also shot up.
This morning I decided to support the vegetable hawkers in my area. I bought potatoes, onions, curry leaf, dhania, green mangoes and bananas for R41. And because I couldn't believe it, I tipped them. Support local.
— Nivashni Nair (@NivashniNair) November 13, 2021
As consumers, we sometimes don't see the other side of the coin, especially when it comes to small business owners. Today is National Entrepreneur's Day, and as advocates for small businesses, considering our very own Vic Naidoo is an entrepreneur, we wanted to share the stories of those who are trying to be consumer friendly but also earn a living.
Here is another vegetable vendor from Chatsworth who shared her plight with the current raise in vegetable prices.
We pay anything between R200 and R300 for a box of green beans or gadra beans. We previously paid about R100 or R150 a box. We have to now sell them at R25 or R30 a kg, but customers find it expensive. We have to explain that cost prices have increased, and we have to charge more to meet our accounts. But, it is hard for everyone to understand as many are struggling to make ends meet.
It's clear that the nutritional value is no longer the only factor for many households that are trying to make ends meet. But as a country, filled with business-minded people, there is surely a solution that can come from this era in our lives.
"The cost of the household food basket is very high, and families can’t afford it. We remain in an emergency food crisis that is only going to deepen. Our problem is not only that we are going hungry, but what is on our plate when there is food.
The higher cost of foods has emptied out the trolleys of any nutritional diversity. Women tell us that ‘whatever we have got, we eat. It doesn’t matter anymore, as long as we can eat it’. However, we will pay a very high price for not making proper nutritious food for our children a key political priority." (IOL)
Our suggestion is to look inward, look at planting your own vegetables, let's take it old school and be the self-providers of nutrition. A recent planting of 100 trees by Food & Trees for Africa in Newlands East, showed the type of thinking we need to adopt. Read more about it, here.
Image Courtesy of Twitter