RA province is arguably one of the best places nama or sea grapes is known for.
At the Suva market, every woman you ask will smile and say “nama from Ra.”
However, after the nation was severely affected by Severe TC Winston, these vendors are starting to feel the the wrath, and this is why the nama plates at the market are getting smaller.
Before, a full plate of nama could cost $2, now the price remains the same but the quantity of nama on it has drastically reduced.
In the West, nama from the Yasawa Islands are harvested in shallow waters near the reef where it is warm and protected from the strong waves.
Kelera Adi, 62, of Namuaimada in Ra has been selling this seaweed for two decades now.
At her age, she has no intention to slow down.
She still goes out to sea and travels to the market every Thursday only to return to the village on Saturday afternoons. This has been her routine since she was 20 years old.
Back in the village, Ms Adi would leave her home in the morning at 4 o’clock to pick nama.
She said most villagers uprooted the plant but she would advise her family to pick the nama to avoid extinction.
She would then pack them nicely and deliver it to middlemen in Suva.
“Once you uproot the plant, it will take a while to grow,” she said.
On Thursdays, she would gather a few women from the village and then come to Suva to sell their remaining stock and also collect their money from the middlemen.
“We could have gone to the Lautoka or Nadi market, but Suva is the best choice because almost everyone enjoys this seafood,” she said.
“I am thankful that we now have a women’s resource centre located at the Suva market that accommodates female vendors until we return to the village.”
Here in Fiji, nama is eaten as a fresh vegetable or salad with tuna, lemons and kora (fermented coconut).
In other Pacific Island countries such as Samoa and Tonga, nama is added to their soup or stew dishes.
Ms Koroi said nama had been their source of living all her life.
She would sell four 10kg bags to middlemen for $50 each in a week.
This does not include her stock from Thursdays to Saturdays.
“Middlemen’s stock would be delivered by bus in the morning and my clients will wait for them at the Suva bus station,” she added.
“On several occassions I usually take home around $600 from my week’s sale.”
Ms Koroi intends to continue this job for another six years to support her family before she calls it a day.
