It was a day of celebration for the vendors of Suva Market as they celebrated Fiji Day and Diwali this morning.
During the celebration, five vendors were recognised for their contribution to the market, including 24-year-old Payal Pritika Prasad, who received the award for the youngest vendor selling grog at the Suva Municipal Market.
Prasad says she grew up in a grog farming family from Labasa, and their grog farm is in Taveuni.
She says they started selling grog at the Suva Market after her father passed away in 2018.
She adds she took over the business after her mother started feeling unwell last year, and due to the effects of COVID-19 and the struggles of getting a job, she ran the family business with her husband.
The 24-year-old says it was challenging at first to get customers because of her gender, but because they were selling quality grog, her customers grew.
She adds she receives more than a thousand dollars in a week from selling grog, and they are planning to expand into exporting.
Prasad says growing up, she wanted to become an accountant and to be her own boss, as she never thought of becoming a grog seller.
Speaking at the celebration, Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum urged the market vendors to speak with one voice because he noticed there were four associations within vendors at the Suva Municipal Market.
He says when they are united, they are much stronger, able to think long term and can ask for the right things.
