A breadfruit reality check

How much should a breadfruit cost? This is an odd question to find on these pages, I know. However, I'd greatly appreciate some advice on the matter. You see, a trip out of Kingston last week led me along highways dotted with stalls full of natural goodies. There were bananas, ackees, pineapples, watermelons and, yes, breadfruit aplenty.

Now, I'm a sucker for a good breadfruit, so it wasn't long before I found myself in the midst of intense negotiations with a vendor near Galina in St Mary.

"How much?" It was more of an exclamation than an actual question.

"Chee seventy," the seller repeated. I was certain there had been some sort of a mix-up. Either that or he thought I was an easy target who didn't know any better. I asked the good fellow if he was telling a joke of some sort. Surely, he couldn't really expect me to fork out $370 for a common breadfruit. It had been a while since I paid for a breadfruit, so I wasn't sure what I expected it to cost. But $370 just didn't sound right.

Rising prices

"Nah, man, is dat dem sell fah," he replied with an irritating nonchalance. "Yuh nuh see how tings hard now? JPS gone up, water gone up, cable gone up. We nuh must haffi raise up di price, too?"

It somehow seemed fairly reasonable when he said it. Prices for many things really have been creeping up. A trip to the supermarket these days is likely to leave you with some degree of sticker shock. And rising utility bills threaten our very way of life.

But the idea that something as basic, beloved and dependable as the good old breadfruit is possibly moving out of reach of the average man is hard to swallow.

Perhaps out of bitterness, I've asked myself if it's fair for the breadfruit sellers to raise their prices simply because they need more money. By that token, couldn't we all just tell our bosses that we'll be needing more take-home pay, since our bills are piling up? I mean, it's not like roadside breadfruit selling involves a lot of overhead expenses. The only overheads involved are the branches that hang overhead on the breadfruit tree.

However, you want to be fair. There are risks involved in climbing the tree. Anyone who's ever taken an inelegant tumble from a low-hanging branch can attest to that.

But even so, this shouldn't cause a sudden rise in the cost of the breadfruit. People have been climbing these trees for many, many years. As far as I know, it has always been risky.

The story of the rising cost of breadfruit is an example of the trouble we face in this country. When the economy hits us hard, we have to find ways to hit back. It's a matter of survival.

The small-scale breadfruit seller is burdened by inflation, so he raises his prices to stay afloat. Major manufacturers facing hard-to-manage energy bills will do the same. Portmore residents forced to pay more just to drive home will need to make cuts in their budgets.

Timeless cycle

Perhaps it's the community restaurant, or the cinema that will feel the brunt of the cuts these people will need to make. Then, if the restaurant and cinema start to struggle, will they then need to raise prices? Will they have to send staff members home? It's an ugly, timeless cycle.

We aren't alone in this fight, but simply knowing this doesn't do much to ease the discomfort. Some tough times are ahead for us and I'm not sure we've been adequately prepared to face them. This is troubling, since it will require a better plan than what has become the go-to 'everyone raise their prices' strategy.

We need a well-articulated vision with a path that leads to better days. Otherwise, it will just continue to be every man for himself, and a chaotic future where we can't even enjoy some breadfruit and salt fish without having to take out a bank loan. That's not the kind of future I want.

Robert Lalah is features editor and author of 'Roving with Lalah'. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com.