JOTIVINI Marama can earn $200 to $300 selling prawns and crabs at the Suva market once a week.
The 62-year-old mother of five, said she loved going to the market even if it meant getting ready at 4am to catch the carrier or the first bus to the Capital City.
She said she was always content with what she did as it gave her an opportunity to earn a few dollars for her family.
Mrs Marama hails from Namata Village in Tailevu and sees village life as a blessing because she relies mainly on the land and sea for produce and sell them at the markets.
She said her son catch prawns and crabs when he goes out to sea and she only sells those produce on Saturdays.
“Au dau volitaka e dua nai vesu (e vitu e tiko kina) kari e na $85. E na dau vakatau tu e na size ni kari. Ke ka levulevu e na volitaki sara e na $150. (I sell one bundle (with seven crabs bound together) for $85. It depends on the size of the crabs too. If it’s big I normally sell it for $150)
She said she sold prawns for $20 on Saturdays and if she goes to the market on the weekdays, she would sell the prawns at $15 a heap because business is always slow on the weekdays compared to Saturdays.
She always sells her produce at the fish market opposite Tappoo City if she is not selling any other produce such as dalo or chillies — that would mean trouble she had trouble with transporting her produce to the market.
“Sometimes the carrier doesn’t come on time and like today (Monday) the bus broke down in Tailevu and we had to catch another bus,” she said.
“Apart from the transportation issue, there is also flooding in the village. We have to wade through a flooded road during high tide in order to get across to catch the bus. So we get soaked first from floodwaters before boarding the bus in the morning.”
With the challenges she faces, Mrs Marama continues to sell her produce every Saturday at the Suva market, making sure that her customers get what they need.
