Peceli Naviticoko 
[File Photo]
The Minister for Local Government has been made aware of the challenges faced by rural vendors when they come to sell their produce at the Suva Municipal Market.
Some vendors from rural communities claim they have to wait until midday before they can start selling their produce.
They claim that this practice is not just and are seeking clarification from the local government authority.
Asenaca Cegu from Wainibuka in Tailevu claims that sometimes their produce gets stale before selling.
“You know the struggles that we go through preparing this farm produce to bring it down to the market, but we are only told to wait for a few more hours. Sometimes we lose customers because we fear being penalized.”
Local Government Minister, Maciu Nalumisa, has given his assurance that he will look into this issue.
“So what I’ll do now is, because there are other concerns raised by the farmers. These are mostly farmers who come from areas outside Suva. So if there are issues that they have with the councils, that needs to be discussed with the councils. So I have to raise that with the councils to ensure that we know some of the better ways that we can serve the farmers that come outside of Suva.”
The current policy at the Suva market is that vendors from outside Suva will only be permitted to sell outside the market at a certain time allocation, which is after midday on weekdays, while those inside continue as normal.
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