As Saint Lucians geared up for Easter celebrations, vendors at Castries Market reported shortages of key holiday staples of yams and citrus fruits, disrupting both supply and pricing ahead of the weekend.
While other produce like cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and bananas remained plentiful, the scarcity of yams and citrus left vendors and shoppers concerned.
“Yams are in short supply and very scarce on the market,” one vendor noted, a sentiment echoed by multiple sellers. Though some still carry small quantities, prices have climbed, with yams now selling between $10-40 per bag and citrus, when available, ranging from $5-10.
Many vendors pointed to unpredictable weather and failing crops as the root cause.
“Sometimes you get too much rain or too much sun,” said Samantha, a vendor offering bananas, cucumbers and cabbages but struggling to stock citrus. “The only thing scarce right now is citrus and yams. I just have a few lemons left.”
Her sister, also a vendor, faces the same challenge—plenty of sweet potatoes but few yams.
Meanwhile, older vendors report similar gaps, with some noting that entire crops have mysteriously failed.
“Plants we had in the dirt just disappeared,” said Mathilda, who sells dasheen, pumpkin and plantains but laments the lack of oranges.
“In orange season, I normally get a lot, which is later in the year. Now we don’t have a lot of oranges because a lot of them died…. We need to plant some new ones,” she added.
With the citrus season months away, vendors are urging government intervention to stabilise future supplies.
“What I think the government should do is to help with planting, especially when it comes to the oranges so that we can bear more,” Mathilda said.
While some vendors report steady business, others say sales have been sluggish despite the holiday demand.
“Sales has been very slow,” one seller admitted, even as she maintained a stock of bananas, plantains, and potatoes.
As climate change and replanting gaps continue to strain local agriculture, vendors warn that traditional Easter produce may become harder to find in the years ahead without targeted support.
