Expect a shortage of vegetables and prices to increase after flash floods damaged farms in Labasa.
The situation has vendors worried as they would be forced to spend more to buy vegetables from outside Labasa to meet demand.
Vendors interviewed yesterday said they did not want a repeat of what they had faced after Severe Tropical Cyclones Yasa and Severe Tropical Cyclone Ana which resulted in them purchasing vegetables from Sigatoka.
Sashi Lata, a vendor for 10 years, said buying vegetables from Sigatoka was expensive.
“We did this for about three months and we also had to increase the price of vegetables to cover for freight costs,” she said.
“The floods have damaged farms in the Korotari area and that was our main source, we will expect shortages and increase in prices.”
Another vendor, Shalend Prasad, said business in the market had not returned to normal after the recent wet weather in the North.
“A lot of vendors are still at home because the floods have affected them and their farms,” he said.
“We have been told by our suppliers that a lot of vegetables have been damaged so we expect a shortage.”
