Since the outbreak of the pandemic, my family and I have been unable to farm the way we normally would. This has led to low food production for me and my family. In addition to that, the price of food at the market for staple goods is high due to the reduction in the importation of these goods. Most of the transport that carries goods has stopped travelling for fear of catching the virus.
Our diet is less diverse due to this pandemic and the intake of nutritious food is less than before. This is because the variety of food at the market is smaller and the prices are higher. This is made worse by the fact that I have recently moved and don’t have a vegetable garden.
The prices for many products have changed, for example, a basin of usipa (small sardine-like fish) that used to sell for 5200 MK now costs 6400MK; last year rice cost 600MK per kg and now it is 850MK per kg. Access to protein has changed a lot due to this pandemic.
This is because this pandemic has disrupted our food supply chain in the marketplace and because of some restrictions and policies that have been put in place to avoid the spread of this virus. This has resulted in a low supply of meat in our marketplace and the meat and chicken that is available is unaffordable now. For example, chicken, last year we were buying at 3000MK and this year we are buying at 3500 -4000MK. The same as meat and other products and this has resulted to change my diet because last year my diet was more and this it is less.
Even tomatoes are very expensive now, 2 tomatoes at 200MK, and this is the same problem with onions. When you look at my cupboard you will see I have no rice and when I do manage to buy it, I just buy 1 kg at a time, just to eat for special occasions like Labour Day.
Before COVID-19 I would travel to the lake for a beach vacation with my family on Labour Day. I used to cook rice, make salad and cook local chicken for the trip. This year Labour Day is a bit different due to coronavirus. Social gatherings are not allowed and many activities are cancelled to avoid the spread of the virus. Although some restrictions have been lifted, we are not safe due to some new COVID cases from the people who have just arrived in the country. Because of that, I am spending the holiday at home.
