In an effort to assist market vendors improve their agricultural productivity, a training on ‘Market for Change’ was organised at the Labasa Forestry conference room on Tuesday

The one-day training enabled the participants, who are market vendors, to run their market businesses more efficiently and effectively.

This enables them to produce better quality and a greater quantity of crops while paying attention to environmental and economic sustainability.

Market for Change project Labasa co-ordinator Vikash Kumar said the project was undertaken by United Nations (UN) Women in partnership with United Nations Development Programme and supported by the Australian government.

“Assisting vendor-farmers will not only benefit themselves but is also expected to have a beneficial ripple effect in the municipal markets  whereby other vendors (retailers in particular) will be able to source from these vendor-farmers better quality and a greater quantity of produce at competitive prices,” Mr Kumar said.

Meanwhile market vendor Luisa Nuku, who is also a farmer from Namuka in Macuata, said the training was an eye- opener for her.

“I have learned how to sharpen my farming and marketing skills to earn more money especially after Tropical Cyclone Winston destroyed some of my crops in the farm,” Mrs Nuku said.

Edited by Manasa Kalouniviti

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