THE cost of vegetables at the Seaqaqa market, outside Labasa, is expected to increase as rising fuel costs continue to affect transportation and supply chains.
Market vendor Tulai Dituraga said farmers bringing produce from rural areas were now facing significantly higher transport costs, which was likely to be passed on to consumers.
“The increase in fuel prices has really affected us. Farmers are paying more for diesel and petrol, and this is already impacting how often they can bring their produce to the market,” she said.
Ms Dituraga said customers may soon notice a gradual rise in the cost of staple root crops and vegetables such as dalo, cassava and bele.
“To hire vehicles to come to the market is expensive.”
Speaking to this newspaper, she said they needed to increase their prices to make a profit,
“Customers at the market are already noticing slight increases in prices with some vendors compared to previous weeks.”
She said vendors had little choice but to adjust cautiously while trying to balance both survival and affordability, adding they would continue to monitor the situation closely.
