Brava "is once again crying out for help" due to shortages of essential goods.

In a survey conducted by Inforpress in the island's main stores, it was found that most are currently experiencing shortages of essential food items.

Over the past three days, due to a technical malfunction on the ship Kriola, the supply situation on Brava Island has worsened even further.

According to local merchants, the ship has been transporting a reduced amount of cargo to the island, considered insufficient to maintain the stock of the town's shops.

They claim that, for months, businesses have been struggling to secure enough products to meet local market demand.

In statements to infprpress, Adilson Monteiro, manager of the Confiança store in the Nossa Senhora do Monte community, pointed out that they have been unable to replenish the stock of stores on the island for some time now, because, he explained, the Kriola ship only transports one or two pallets of cargo per store.

“In my case, I usually order shipments of five or six pallets of goods, however, on a single trip they only bring one or two, and that's not enough to stock the stores. As soon as the products are placed in the store, they sell out very quickly. This is what has been causing frequent stockouts for several months in Brava,” he said.

As I said, CV Interilhas used to allow cars full of products to travel from Praia, supplying the stores very well, but they cancelled this type of service and now shortages are frequent.

“The festive season is approaching, and the island has been frequently experiencing shortages of basic food items. We used to have three stores, but now we only have one left because of this. I appeal to the Government, or whoever is responsible, to find a beneficial alternative so that the island does not suffer from shortages of food and essential products,” he pleaded.

In turn, resident João Monteiro, who also shares the same opinion, considered the situation the island has been experiencing for months to be regrettable.

According to reports, people frequently enter stores to find empty shelves, with shortages of many essential products.

He stressed that this situation has been dragging on for a long time and is becoming exhausting, considering that this is one of the reasons why many people from Brava leave their homeland in search of other solutions.

“The Government must intervene in this situation as quickly as possible to find a viable solution that allows the island to have at least the basics. Brava is also Cape Verde and deserves to be treated as such,” he concluded.