Produce prices at Fiji’s largest municipal markets are set to surge, with vendors at Nausori and Suva warning some items could almost double in price as transport costs climb amid what they say is a fuel-price shock tied to the ongoing war in the Middle East. Market traders say the jump in costs is squeezing already thin margins and threatens both household incomes and the steady supply of vegetables to urban shoppers.
Sureti Aditukana Vasukiwai, 38, president of the Nausori vendors and a vendor from Naitasiri, said the price of moving a single cargo of produce to market has risen to $10. On top of that, she said, vendors must cover bus fares, market amenities, and even payments for sleeping space and toilets when they make long trips into the municipality. “Market vendors are on the brink of collapse as the prices of our expenses soar,” Ms Vasukiwai said, expressing doubt that current profits will sustain families for the next market trip.
Vendors in Suva and Nausori say rising transport bills are biting hardest for farmers from the interior and remote parts of Naitasiri and Tailevu, who rely heavily on hired transport and multiple legs of travel to reach urban markets. Atelaite Wainileba, 35, a vendor from Naitasiri, described the situation as a “cruel reality” for those communities and said the current statutory price ceiling on produce does not reflect their rising costs. Vendors are now collectively calling for authorities to lift or adjust the ceiling so retail prices better cover transportation and production expenses.
The squeeze is already being felt along the supply chain. Venaisi Rokolikuboca, 34, said the fuel-price ripple has pushed up farm operating costs, including kerosene and tractor-hire charges for ploughing. She said traders are trying to raise retail prices — for example, increasing cabbage from $2 and $3 to $4 and $5 — but the move is provoking backlash from shoppers unaware of the upstream costs. “They don’t see the early hours of the morning of blood, sweat and tears in the field,” Ms Rokolikuboca said, adding that many vendors work from night until the following evening to bring produce to market.
Vendors point to the international conflict as the trigger for domestic fuel-price rises that flow through to freight and farming inputs. While the linkage to global oil markets is cited by traders, the calls on the Fijian government are concrete: vendors want consideration of targeted support for farmers and market sellers, and a reassessment of price controls that they say are no longer viable under current cost pressures. Ms Vasukiwai urged the government to “think of us farmers and market vendors,” warning that without intervention many small operators could be forced out of business.
This is the latest development in a broader story of cost-of-living pressures in Fiji. If produce prices double at Nausori and Suva, urban households and businesses that rely on local vegetables could see immediate impacts. Market vendors say they will press for policy changes and await a response from municipal or national authorities; government comment has not yet been reported.