Market Vendors in Labasa were reminded that Fiji cannot fulfil its potential as a nation without their full participation in the development process.

This was echoed by United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Market for Change project assistant Catherine Heritage during the Business Fair at the Labasa Municipal Market yesterday.

The Business Fair brings together financial, agricultural and social service providers to the markets to provide information, creating awareness and deliver services to the market vendors.

Ms Heritage said municipal markets in Fiji provide an important urban space for thousands of small business people from both urban and rural communities, to trade as market vendors.

“Women make up the majority from 75 to 95 per cent of these vendors,” she said.

“Majority of the market vendors lack the capacity to strengthen their business and attain economic security through better financial education, progressive business skills and practices, timely information and access to financial services.

“The livelihood of market vendors is unprotected that their income and livelihood suffer heavy losses in any natural disaster.

Interventions need to be made to connect market vendors to these services,” she said.

Ms Heritage said the organisation tried to make the services accessible and conveniently available to them.

She said that some of the market vendors did not even have bank accounts because they did have enough time to go to banks.

A market vendor Kesaia Bale who has been a market vendor for the last three years said the fair was vital to her in terms of securing her finance.

The United Nations Development Programme Market Fair Team will be in Suva, today.

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