NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2022 14 Paul H.Williams/GleanerWriter ONTUESDAY, February 1, when a Gleaner team spoke with Pearleta Smith in Middle Quarters, St Elizabeth, about changes in that community since 1962, she said nothing had changed. “It still the same, I don’t see no real change. It is still the same,” was her quick response. She was one of a few vendors the team saw along the road leading to the square, which itself was bereft of any commercial activity. The shrimps and the humans seemed to have disappearedupstreamthe littlewater source running nearby. That was a far cry from yesteryear, when the district, known as the‘Shrimp Capital of Jamaica’, was overrun with sellers and buyers. Apart from the ‘swims’ (shrimps) therewerebammy, fish, fruits, cooked food, etc, in this must-go-to place in the‘breadbasket parish’. Its location, along the main road to Black River, makes it easily accessible. It cannot bemissed. It was also a popular place for tour operators to take tourists. The distinct tastes of the peppered shrimps and crayfish are the pulling factors, but things and times have changed. The shrimp-selling business in Middle Quarters has been shrinking gradually, barely afloat. Thus, Pearleta’s response was not entirely accurate. Things have taken a turn for the worse in a place that is well-known throughout the Jamaican diaspora. Apart from the struggling shrimp-selling industry, there is nothing significant to sustain the development of the community, which has a serious water shortage problem for years going. One reason for the slow sales is the infrequency of visits by tour buses, and the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic took away some of the flames from under the shrimp pots. Another challenge is the everescalating prices from the fishermen ,who get their catches from the various water sources in the region, all theway to Black River. The vendors have to absorb the increases, because buyers are not willing to pay more. This is a negative for those who might be considering selling shrimps for a living. For years, that endeavour has been the main source of income for people living within and outside of the community. Houses have been built from it, cars have been bought from it, education has been financed by it; great reasons to keep the industry alive. But, the younger folk are not interested in employment in the industry, thus breaking the generational involvement. “It nuh easy, enuh. Rain come wet yuh, sun come bun yuh, so yuh wouldn’t like yuh kids them to have the same rough life that yuh guh through. Yuh would want them to have a better life,”Smith explained. She had followed in her mother’s footsteps, literally, running from vehicle to vehicle for over 30 years, but has no blood relative to grab the baton from her. Also, she said she has lost two sisters, whowere fellow vendors, who died earlier this year as a result of COVID-19 complications. She is crying out for alternate employment opportunities in the community for the youths, including her son, who she said has five CXC subjects under his belt. “We really want a call centre to help the young people them ...more jobs ... . just come into the community and give them some form of encouragement ... keep a session for all the young men in the community ... to groom them, to show themhow to became aman, to achieve. give thema push to achieve independence,”Smith pleaded. Achieving independence is what Michael Samuels, the lone male vendor the team saw, is doing. He is not averse to his children joining him in the business if that is really what theywant to do. Yet, thementality of the young men towards the selling aspect of the industry, according to Samuels, is another factor why the industry is losing traction. They regard it a job for women. For them, it is not an option. “A whole heap a bash dem bash mi when mi out yah a sell, say mi a man, mi fi guh look adda work duh, awoman fi inna de business,”he said, “But, it shouldn’t be like that. Yuh need man fi come inna de business, come help the ladies, to show them how to prepare the shrimps ... dem need man fi guide them.” KeishaHill /Senior GleanerWriter PRESIDENT OF the St Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce, Howard Hendricks, says the parish is poised for major developments that could lift the standard for small businesses; however, greater participation is needed fromtheoriental business community that have seenan increase in their number in the last five years. Hendricks, who is also community relations officer at theNationalWorks Agency, said there has been a large influx of the oriental business class in the parish. “From then we have seen the diminishing of theblack entrepreneurial business class.Most of these businesses were in a retail or wholesale. So, when the Chinese came in, for example, we had12 supermarkets thatwereownedbyblack entrepreneurs. Of that number, about 10of them are now owned by the Chinese,”he said. The Chinese, he said, are buying in bulk and with the sourcingof cheaper rawmaterials, other entrepreneurs have soldout because they could not compete, especially thosewhowereexisting on lease agreements. “These entrepreneurs did not own the buildings. What the Chinese have done is to payextended rent, for example, onayearlybasis, that have frustrated theother business owners,” Hendricks said. This practice, he said, has inhibited the continued growth and development of the parish. “We are thankful that they are around to create employment, but there are cultural differences.When they comehere, they justwant labour, andmoreover, they arenot like the early Chinesemigrants,”he said. The new generation of Chinese migrants, he said, are not friendly. Most of the towns, he said, including Black River, Balaclava, Santa Cruz,Maggotty, and Junction, theChinesehave purchasedproperty or have leased it, andwhile they have good business ethics, they do not foster good community relations. “What we should be doing is learn from them, and learn how their business progress. They come together and they work together, whichwe arenot doing, and they arebecoming successful,”Hendricks said. “But they do not socialise, and they keep to themselves. They also do not participate in the development of the community or the towns. Whatever profits they make goes directly back to them, and this is not good for the continued growth of the parish,”he added. While indicating that it is good to save and manage business profits, having a good rapport with other businesses, and the wider community, can bode well for their safety, and the development of the towns in which they do business. keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com Howard Hendricks, president, St Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce. FILE St Bess poised for development, says Chamber boss Pearleta Smith (left) and Michael Samuel in Middle Quarters, St Elizabeth, said the price the fishermen charge for the crayfish causes the vendors to sell at a high price, which turns away customers. NICHOLAS NUNES/PHOTOGRAPHER jamaica at ‘SWIMS’ business fluttering in Middle Quarters JAMAICA AT 60: ST ELIZABETH
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUzNTI=