High demand, less supply forces increase in price of vegetables
When vendors buy from them it is the farmer who determines the price. Vegetables prices have increased
Suva Market Vendors Association president Sofia Talei says the price of the vegetables have gone up because of the high demand.
She noted that the price of vegetables increased, but the price of root crops had decreased.
“The price of the vegetables increased because of the high demand, but there is less produce coming into the market from farms,’ Ms Talei said. “People want to eat healthy food and they want to put healthy vegetables on the table, but less produce means the vegetable price will increase.”
Suva United Market Vendor Association Legal Advisor, Shobna Verma, said factors like climate change also led to the increase in vegetable price.
Because of droughts or flooding, production drops so farmers tend to increase the price of vegetables. When vendors buy from them it is the farmer who determines the price.
“It is the same as butter price if there is no milk the butter price goes up. In the same way if there are less vegetables the farmers will increase the price,” Ms Verma said. “Vendors have to increase the price to make profit.”
She said there were 300 permanent market vendors who paid a daily fee of $2.75 fee to the Suva City Council.
Market vendor Anand Goundar, 29, said the increase in the price of tomatoes was because it was the off season.
“Tomatoes price used to be $25 to $30 per box and now it is $100 to $120 per box which is 15kg,” Mr Goundar said.
He said cabbage used to cost $20 a bag, now it costs $50-$60 a bag.
Farmer, Shital Prasad, 29, of Nausori said he used to supply vegetables to the markets and to vendors, but now he was not producing enough so he sold his own vegetables. “As a farmer climate change affected me a as well. We are not able to produce more vegetables,” Ms Prasad said.
“Farmers work hard to produce good vegetables and supply to vendors. They come from interior and pay for transportation costs.” A consumer, Apisalome Mocelutu, 25, said he felt the increase in the price of vegetables.
Previously he could buy three different vegetables for $5, but now it was costing him $5 for only two vegetables.
“I wanted to buy cabbage, but for $3 it had only three small plants which were not enough for the family,” Mr Mocelutu said.