Govt grant helped me: market vendor
“WHEN the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it was the worst time for all market vendors as selling produce was the only way to earn money and it was difficult with all the restrictions put in place.”
This was highlighted by 59-year-old, Kepueli Jikotani, who originally hails from Moce Island in the Lau Groups and happens to be one of the longest serving vendor at the Suva Municipal Market.
“I have been buying and selling root crops such as dalo and cassava for the past 35-years,” he relayed.
“The pandemic created issues for everyone and it was particularly a very bad time for me as it left me bankrupt.”
“I have six children and three grandchildren who live with me and I look after all of them as I am the sole income earner in the family,” he added.
Mr Jikotani notes that business has been quite slow after the pandemic and when he heard about the Government providing grants to business owners, he took up on the opportunity to apply.
“I received $7,000 when my application was approved which helped me to buy the root crop stock,” he said.
“I then bought 20 bags of cassava, 100 bundles of dalo and coconuts as all our customers were in the lockdown area so I decided to have the supplies on hand.”
“I used to travel to Lomaivuna and Sawani to buy the root crops from the farmers with new increased prices due to demand and I also had to pay the transport fare which was not cheap,” Mr Jikotani added.
He adds that the prices of root crops are going up and it is hard to make much profit like he used to when he started selling at the market.
“I want to thank the Government for assisting me to continue running my business and at the same time supporting me to look after my family,” Mr Jikotani acknowledged.
“I have been living in Cunningham for the past 20 years and I plan to extend the house for my grandchildren, provided that I am able to save enough money from the business.”
“Applying for a loan is a good thing as it ensures that you want to grow your business and yourself in the process, therefore, I would urge those who are starting a business to take advantage of this opportunity and apply for the Government grant,” Mr Jikotani advised.