Vendors at the Namaka market have over the years requested the Nadi town council to reconsider scaling the high market fees.

Permanent vendors are charged $2.30 a day while casual vendors have to pay $2.55 in comparison to Nadi Market’s 95 cents per stall for permanent vendors and $1.05 for casual vendors.

Nadi’s Special Administrator Robin Ali says they don’t have any plans to reduce the Namaka market fees any time soon as they have to pay lease to the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji for the land that it sits on.

“You cannot compare that market to Nadi market because Nadi market was built around 40 years ago and it’s built on our own property and Namaka market is built on a property leased from CAAF. The council is leasing that portion of land and we are also paying 5% of the revenue as part of our agreement to CAAF. There is no plan for us to decrease because we don’t want to run a market under loss because we have to break even because we are not profit making organization but we have to make it even. If we run a market under loss where will we end up?"

While the Nadi market operates for only five and a half days, Namaka is open throughout the week and on public holidays but vendors still face problems.

Vendors also raised issues regarding security of their produce and have been reminded that under the market by-laws, produce kept at the market will be at their own risk.