After fancy facelift, disorder creeping back into 'Curry'

Dennis Morrison, Contributor

Jamaica's good fortune in having been spared this year from severe weather conditions and attendant disruptions to domestic food production has been felt by shoppers in the relatively modest movements in prices at Coronation Market ['Curry'].

Since August, price increases for items that are usually influenced by seasonal factors have almost been matched by decreases in other items. At a time when consumers were being bombarded by high electricity bills and hikes in gas prices, this moderation in food prices may have been overlooked.

The perception notwithstanding, official inflation statistics by STATIN confirm what I've seen at 'Curry', with 0.5 per cent inflation for the month of October - a drop from the September figure, which was nearly one per cent. This has to be sustained if consumers are to get a break from cost-of living pressures which, combined with the downturn in the economy, have squeezed living standards for many.

As fortunate as we have been this year, it will take substantial and broad-based improvements in domestic agriculture to make a real difference, especially as oil prices will very likely keep climbing. The fact that Jamaica is still to take the first step to break the total dependence on oil, the most expensive fuel, means that electricity rates, which currently stand at a whopping US 40 cents per kilowatt-hour, are not likely to go down.

As Christmas approaches and shopping picks up, I expect prices for most items to move up, peaking by 'grand market' day, which this year will fall on a Saturday. The vendors look forward to this time of year when sales are brisk, and even more so this year, because there has been a visible downturn in business, which partly explains why prices have been moderated. Already, the prices of lettuce, tomatoes, sweet pepper, and string beans have surged, with lettuce rising to $200 per lb and sweet pepper to $250 by mid-November.

'Curry' in danger

Overshadowing the news about prices at 'Curry' is the big disappointment in how the upgrading programme of the market is faltering. Coming up to Christmas last year, regulars of 'Curry' were enthused about the rehabilitation works that gave the market a new look. Digicel's investment led us to hope that at long last Kingston's major food market would be properly organised, with physical and hygiene standards to meet the demands of the large weekly turnover of people.

Not only have there been no further physical works since then, but the signs that the market would be run on a more organised basis have disappeared. For months, shoppers and vendors alike have been complaining that the market is not being cleaned. On my last visit, every second person was sneezing and complaining about irritation from dust. Vendors are now back to laying out their produce in passageways rather than in the stalls that had been erected and assigned to them.

The word among vendors is that the breakdown in the management of the market has turned off benefactors, and that is one of the reasons why the programme has apparently stalled. This would be a big setback for vendors and shoppers who have complained for more than 20 years about how the market had been allowed to run down, and the lack of interest of the authorities in such a vital aspect of Kingston's economy. We are still anxious that plans by the Government to raise financing and implement the programme will be realised soon.

National priority

However the upcoming election turns out, the redevelopment of downtown Kingston and, particularly, the market district must be high on the national agenda. The case has been made ad nauseam in Gleaner editorials and columns as to the contribution of the city to the national economy and its potential to generate jobs. Digicel's investment in a new office complex is an encouraging start, but it will take more businesses and investors to build a momentum.

While discussion about our economic problems is focused almost entirely on cutting budgets, containing deficits, and reducing the national debt, the surest way to pull ourselves up is to get the economy to grow. Growth is driven by investment in areas such as infrastructure and urban renewal, along the lines advocated for downtown Kingston. The Kingston Redevelopment Programme, including the upgrading of the market district, is, therefore, not just a socially desirable goal, but could be a powerful driver of economic growth.

Dennis Morrison is an economist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.