A municipal market complex costing $600,000 was opened in Ba back in 1984, providing a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere to both the customer and seller.
According to a The Fiji Times article on August 3 the same year, the entire complex was expected to cost the Ba Town Council $1 million.
Built in January the year before, the market was regarded as one of the best municipal buildings in Fiji.
At the time the article was published, work on the second stage of the market was already under way.
It was to consist of the fish market, the mark master’s office, a car park, modern toilet blocks, four kiosks and a yaqona pavilion.
The first stage of the market was opened officially by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economic Planning and Development, Ratu David Toganivalu.
It consisted of 250 stalls, which were lock-up stalls, and was expected to hold a total of 500 stalls at the completion of the second stage. The rates for the lock-up stalls were $200 a month while the open stalls was 65 cents daily.
Compared with the old Ba market which only held 133 stalls, the new market was practically four times larger.
The Ba Town Council, however, was not planning to be doing away with the old market completely.
It was in fact decided to covert the old building into a chain of modern shops.
This new project was only going to cost the council about $200,000.
All market operations in the old market were then transferred to the new market.
The land on which the new market was located was part of the council’s freehold land and part of Crown land leased by the Government.
The market was located in an open space between the Fiji Sugar Corporation Rarawai mill and main shopping areas, away from all the hustle and bustle of the main street, where the old market was situated.
People could shop in peace and did need to worry about parking space on Friday evenings or Saturday mornings.
Buyers no longer carried the burden of trudging metres to board their buses after shopping as the new market was only mere metres away from the bus stand.
