Making ends meet
57 year-old keeps busy as a market vendor in Sigatoka
AGE ought not to be a factor in one’s pursuit of happiness. Karalaini Mainewa, 57, who hails from Votua in Baravi, Nadroga can testify to this.
She can be found selling various fruits and vegetables in the Sigatoka Municipal Market where she has been a vendor for the past three years.
“After my husband died in 2017, I decided to become a market vendor to support myself,’ Karalaini said.
She said she buys all her produce from farmers in the Sigatoka Valley.
“At 7 or 8’oclock in the morning, people are outside waiting for the trucks and carriers that come down from the valley to buy farm produce.
“And if you’re late, you won’t have anything to sell. If the weather is bad, then it is very hard to get much produce from the farmers.”
Karalaini said most days business could be quite slow, there are times when it picks up.
“If it is the holiday season, such as Easter, Christmas or Diwali, those times are very busy for selling.
“School holidays are also a busy time.
“And if it is during the week, we aim for Tuesday because that is the day the Hindu community hold their religious services and they come in to buy lots of greens and fruits.”
Karalaini said most produce nowadays were expensive to buy, such as cassava.
“Right now, cassava is very hard to get in Sigatoka. It’s $160 a bag and we sell it for $10 a heap.
“Before, that $10 a heap used to be $5.”
She said before COVID, food prices used to be good, but now it’s expensive.”
Karalaini has three daughters, all of whom are married with their own families.
“For me, I never thought of asking for their help because they have their own families, so I earn my money for my house, my electricity, food and water.
“I regularly catch up with my daughters on Facebook. They all have good jobs now.”
Before becoming a market vendor, Karalaini worked at and managed Vilisite’s Restaurant, a restaurant in Sigatoka. Her late husband worked for the Ministry of Agriculture until his retirement in 2006.
She said the one good thing about selling in the market was that she earned money every day compared to a weekly wage.