Kgn revival must not end with 'Curry'

Dennis Morrison, Columnist

When I made my usual visit to Coronation Market two Saturdays ago, there was no '$10-a-lb' cabbage in sight as protesting higglers had claimed a few days before. But the prices of the main vegetables - carrot, cabbage, lettuce, sweet pepper, and tomato - had fallen dramatically since Grand Market day three weeks before. Apparently, talk of a glut in the supply of these vegetables had brought out bargain hunters the day before, but the traffic had returned to normal Saturday traffic that day.

On Grand Market day, tight supplies and peak Christmas demand had combined to send the prices of these items through the roof. With shoppers having to tighten their belts after the Christmas spending, and supplies picking up, prices were expected to fall, as is usual this time of year, but the slide was unusually steep for some items. The most startling example was tomatoes. Cooking tomatoes, which sold for $150 per lb on Grand Market day were down to $40, and salad had dropped from $200 to $60 per lb.

The price of lettuce had also dropped more steeply than usual, moving from $100 to $40 per lb, while sweet pepper and carrots moved, but more in line with the normal seasonal fluctuations. Carrot went from $60 to $40 per lb, sweet pepper from $300 to $250 per lb, and cabbage, which was the item most thought to be in oversupply, was being sold for $40, down from $60 per lb. Barring some marginal shifts, prices of most other items were stable.

What this means is that pressure on the prices of domestic food crops should ease in coming months, but bargain hunters should be careful not to be misled by loose talk about gluts. Stable domestic food prices should help to moderate the recent spike in the inflation rate, except that the prices of some key imported food items - rice, wheat, corn - are rising sharply on world markets, and signals from oil markets are not favourable. Prices at the gas pump are now over the $100-per-litre mark, and with higher oil prices we will have to contend with the all-pervasive impact of higher electricity bills on the cost of living.

More important than any relief from falling prices, what I picked up was a positive mood emanating from the improvements in the facilities at Coronation Market. At last, vendors and shoppers can do business in surroundings where the basics are provided - roofing, flooring, properly appointed stalls, and sanitary conveniences. There has even been an attempt to reflect the range of Jamaican crops in the layout of the market.

No yam on 'Yam Street'

Walkways are named for the various fruits, vegetables and foodstuff, and the most well-known streets in downtown Kingston. So we have 'King Street' as one of the main walkways, and there is 'Ginger Street', 'Sugar Cane Boulevard', 'Sorrel Street', and so on. What struck me, though, was that I could not find any yam on 'Yam Street'!

The stalls all had vegetables and fruit. No oranges were to be found on 'Orange Way' either, and my okra lady is at Stall #622, 'Lime Tree Lane'! When I asked about this, her retort was, "Dem just gi' it a name." But there was ginger on 'Ginger Street'! These improvements are most welcome, but the fact, however, is that this is only a first step. Sadly, it has taken nearly 40 years to happen. Much, much more work needs to be done.

Only one section of Coronation Market has been refurbished. The traditional open area where most of the ground provision is sold remains untouched, and nearly half of the activity takes place there. There is no proper drainage, it is unpaved, and when it rains, the place becomes a mud hole. The market shoppers are from all over the Corporate Area and the fast-growing Portmore communities, and the vendors come from all parts of the country. They all deserve better.

Digicel deserves credit for taking the lead in getting the refurbishing work started. Other corporate entities should now follow this admirable example of enlightened corporate citizenship and step up to the plate. The responsibility for the market is, however, really with the KSAC, the Department of Local Government, and the Urban Development Corporation, as the agency mandated to undertake urban planning and development. These agencies should ensure that the initiative does not stop with the work that Digicel has sponsored. What is needed is for a comprehensive plan to be prepared, in conjunction with private-sector interests, and in consultation with representatives of the vendors.

Kingston stands as an exception in this region, where the city centre has been allowed to fragment and deteriorate over the past four decades. The decay of the market district is symptomatic of this, but the Coronation Market project could well be one catalyst for the rebirth of the market district and the city centre as a whole.

NOTE: P.J. Patterson, not Portia Simpson Miller, as was published in last week's column, is to be credited with securing financing for the MoBay Convention Centre.

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