FOR 55-year-old Epeli Mudunakaci, the road to the Christmas market is a grueling three-hour trip from the highlands of Nadrau, Nadarivatu.
Mr Mudunakaci is among a group of vendors from Fiji’s interior who have travelled to the Lautoka minibus stand this week to sell fresh produce during the festive rush.
The logistical challenges of bringing crops from the mountains to the city are significant, with high transportation costs eating into farmers’ pockets.
“An average lorry trip fare would cost $200 from Tavua Town to Lautoka City and $400 from Nadarivatu to Lautoka City,” Mr Mudunakaci said.
Despite the overheads, he arrived with a diverse harvest.
“Dalo is here, melons, tavioka, cabbage, tomatoes. I always bring down to Tavua,” he said.
“At this time, it costs $100 for one batch of tomatoes, and last month I brought about 200 (sacks) tavioka.”
His prices remain competitive for holiday shoppers. Dalo is selling at $30 to $40, while melons range from $5 to $15 depending on the size.
The motivation behind his hard work is his family’s education. Mr Mudunakaci manages both crops and livestock to support his three children.
“One of my children is at FNU in Suva, that’s why I’m farming; I also have some livestock.
“I do this all for my three children, but we are fortunate to be surrounded by vegetation up in the interior, so that is a great help to me.”
While grateful for the Nadarivatu natural resources, Mr Mudunakaci noted that farmers in the interior face physical and mechanical hurdles.
He is now calling for State support to help increase productivity.
“If possible, we request that the Government assist us with some incentives for farming, such as tractors.”
