Selling on the roadside without proper approval is illegal, and vendors also need to be mindful of land adjacent to road reserves as they could be trespassing without the landowner’s consent.
This was stressed by Minister for Housing and Local government Maciu Nalumisa in Parliament while responding to opposition MP Rinesh Sharma's concerns raised about women vendors selling produce along roadsides.
Nalumisa says vendors need approval from the Fiji Roads Authority before selling on road reserves.
He says despite spaces being available inside some municipal markets, some vendors still prefer to sell outside.
However, he says the Ministry is working on market regulations to ensure there is uniformity and standard regulations across municipalities.
Meanwhile, responding to Assistant Minister for Multi-Ethnic Affairs Shalen Kumar's question on the key achievements of the Market for Change Programme and how it has improved economic opportunities for women market vendors across Fiji, Nalumisa says the programme aims to promote gender equality and the socio-economic empowerment of market vendors, with particular attention given to the needs and aspirations of women vendors.
He says the project targets safety and inclusiveness of municipal markets, upgrading of facilities resilient to climate change including the improvement of roofing, drainage, stalls and structural repairs.
Nalumisa says this also includes the construction of new markets in Levuka, Namaka, Rakiraki, Nausori and Lautoka.
He says work includes providing facilities and restrooms for vendors as well.
He says the capital project donations for this upgrades and development are around $6.1 million.
The Minsiter says the Market for Change project is funded by the Australian government, Canadian government, and the regional government.
He also acknowledged the UN Women for its continued support towards the upgrading and construction of markets and says financial assistance has been provided to a number of municipal market projects under the programme.
Nalumisa adds that CCTV cameras and public address systems have also been provided to improve security and communication, particularly at larger markets.
