Rise in prices

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Kiran Lata, 54, (left) and Daya Wati, 66, sell vegetable that they buy from the farmers at the Suva market. Picture: SOPHIE RALULU

VEGETABLE prices in the municipal markets have increased after recent weather extremes with middlemen feeling the brunt of wholesalers increasing their prices drastically.

Kiran Lata is a 54-year-old middleman and has been based in the Suva Municipal Market for 30 years.

“For 30 years I’ve been in the Suva Market and I’ve never seen prices this high,” said Ms Lata.

She said after the cyclones and flooding early this year, farmers had raised their prices very high.

“Selling produce is our only source of income. We can’t avoid buying from farmers or wholesalers because we depend on this for our livelihoods,” she said.

“I buy most of my produce from Sigatoka farmers and I’ve had to buy less produce than what I normally buy because it costs more now.

“I am buying half of the produce I usually buy for the price of twice the amount of produce.

“Before I could buy all my produce for $300 but now I’m forced to buy less produce because the money I make cannot cover all my expenses.

“Even though I sell here from Monday to Saturday, I don’t make much money. Times are hard and most people are struggling financially.

“Customers usually come by and complain why prices are so high. But what can we do? We are also trying to earn a living.

“We are buying at a higher price so we need to make profit by increasing our prices too.

“It is very unfortunate but we do what we have to. I keep my vegetables in heaps for people who can afford it at $3 or $5 a bunch or heap. And for people who cannot afford it, I dice up the vegetables in small pieces and fill them in plates and sell them at a cheaper price so we can at least make some money at the end of the day.

“A sack of eggplants that we used to buy at $30 we are buying now for $70 to $90. Long bean that we could buy at $25 to $30, we have to buy at $50 or $60 now. Even pumpkins that we could buy for $15 or $20, we buy at $60 now and okra has gone from $3 a kg to $7 a kg.”

Another vendor shared the same grievances. Daya Wati, 66, said she sometimes lived in Nakasi with a relative and not at her own home in Wainibokasi, Nausori to minimise her expenses.

“I do not earn enough at the market like I used to because people refuse to buy fruits and vegetables at the price we are selling them at. But, we as vendors need to make a living too so we need to sell produce we usually sell at $2 or $3 at $5-$6 now to make ends meet.”

“Customers do not want to buy produce and look for cheaper options. Since we can’t afford to buy as much produce as we used to, we sometimes have to make our heaps smaller but still sell them at the price of bigger bundles to be able to cater for our expenses.”

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