WHEN the sole breadwinner of her family was bedridden, Kala Chand made a decision to fill in her husband’s shoes.
Her usual duties of a stay home mum, wife and daughter-in-law soon added to her role.
Mrs Chand, is just one of the many women market vendors who are based at the Nausori market six days in a week.
As of today, she owns not one but nine tables of seasonal vegetables supplied by farmers or middlemen from Sigatoka.
“I enjoy what I do because I’m the one who makes the decisions here,” said Mrs Chand.
“Before I start my day at the market, I make sure breakfast and roti parcels for lunch are prepared for everyone at home. From Mondays to Fridays, I leave home at 7.15am but on Saturdays I leave at 5.30am. My usual knock off time is 5.30pm.”
In a week, Mrs Chand pays about $295 to $350 for the produce alone plus a total of $68.95 for her nine tables.
Among the seasonal vegetables, she also sells peanuts which she usually buys in kilos. One kg peanut was $6 and she preferred to buy 25kg worth because it could last her for four days until she had to buy more. For a cup, she says she sells them for a dollar and adds from one kg, she could make a profit of $4.
To name a few, some of the season vegetables you could find on Mrs Chand’s tables include french beans, eggplants, tomatoes, bhindi, english cabbage and chinese cabbage.
Website stylecraze.com states some of the health benefits of peanuts below:
* Rich in energy
Peanuts contain vitamins, minerals, nutrients and anti-oxidants and are rich energy sources
* Cholesterol
It lowers bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol in the body. Peanuts contain mono-unsaturated fatty acids especially oleic acid that prevents coronary diseases.
* Growth
Peanuts are rich in proteins.
The amino acids present in them are good for proper growth and development of body.
