By Fane Boseiwaqa. Convenor and Correspondent, femLINKpacific
Its early Saturday (28/03/2020) morning in the Tavua Market and I managed to speak to some of the women market vendors, who are members of femLINKpacific’s Rural Women Leaders Community Media Network (RWLCMN). I first met Verenaisi Vuabau of Rakiraki who had arrived in Tavua to sell her vegetables.
“The reason is that we can make some sales here. In Rakiraki there are less people coming to buy, and many of the businesses have been closing since last Thursday," said Verenaisi.
" I plant most of the produce I sell. But trying to sell some produce at this time is quite difficult" added Vuabau
Also in the Tavua Market on Saturday was Unaisi Bakewa. Unaisi is a Tavua Market Vendor.
Unaisi spoke about the increasing difficulties of buying produce from the farmers due to the increasingly irregular bus service.
"We are finding it difficult to buy our produce from the farmers who usually get the produce to the vendors at the market as now there have been no bus services over the past few days for most of the rural communities in this area ,” said Unaisi.
"I usually buy most of the produce I sell here. It is quite expensive as well. Before I usually buy bhaigan for $20 a bag. Now it's $30- $50 bag.
Unaisi explained that the price increases in the market since COVID-19 have reached 100 per cent increases.
“Long bean is usually $12 a dozen. Now it's $24doz.” “Bhaji/Bhindi was $2 a kg. “Now its $5 a kilo. Ginger was $3kg. Now its $5 a kilo."
“We vendors are facing difficulties in buying our produce from the farmers due the increase in the price" added Bakewa.
Verenaisi Vuabau and Unaisi Bakewa are representatives of womens’ organisations that are part of femLINKpacific’s network called the Rural Women Leaders Community Media Network (RWLCMN).
Over 600 rural diverse women in Fiji are part of the network and have been convening on a monthly basis documenting and amplifying their human security issues in order to make transformative change.
The Fijian Government had on Thursday, 26/03/20 presented a supplementary budget in its COVID-19 response.
femLINKpacific also made a submission to the COVID-19 budget targetting rural communities which are defined as communities that struggle to access transportation, medical facilities and shopping centres, informal settlements and densely populated areas. The focused group being elderly persons, persons with pre-existing health conditions, persons living in poverty, persons living in disability and women.
