ALTHOUGH businesses and the Vaileka Market operated as usual in Rakiraki Town yesterday, adverse weather conditions kept customers at home.
"It's mainly due to transport problem and heavy rains causing flooding in some parts making it difficult for customers to come," said Vaileka Market Vendors Association president Satish Prakash.
While more than 50 market vendors turned up with their produce, the market was empty with most vendors hardly making a sale.
"It has been like this since Saturday last week. When we started experiencing the heavy rain, people did not want to risk coming into town," said Mr Prakash.
He said vendors were also expecting things to get worse as the week progressed.
"We heard that this weather will be like this for the rest of the week so we are expecting business to suffer for most of us," Mr Prakash said.
"But we still come to the market every day because we need to make money for our families," he said.
One market vendor also relayed how prices of vegetables were increasing.
Laisa Naduva said a bundle of long bean now cost $2.
"This all started when some of the vegetable farmers that we buy vegetables from had their farms destroyed in the recent floods. Some had their crops damaged when it flooded last week," said Ms Naduva.
"I now buy a dozen bundles of cabbage for $20. I used to buy them at $15 a dozen," she added.