Pravina Rae (left)

Today marked one of the largest turnouts of vendors, with over a hundred participating in the 10th GOLD FM ROC market of the year.

Among the many vendors were florists, artisans, food sellers, and Small and Medium Enterprises, all benefiting from favourable weather conditions.

Pravina Rae from Nausori states that she has been coming to the market days for the past 12 years because of her established customer base.

Pravina’s secret garden owner states that she started planting plants as a hobby which later turned into a thriving business.

“It was my hobby, doing the gardening. So I thought to do a nursery business, so I started importing orchids from Thailand and anthuriums from the Netherlands. So everyone here is doing different, right? So I’m doing clothes, I’m doing food, so I thought to do plants. As my plants are growing so well from here, it’s like I’m promoting my business.”

Rae adds that she has a variety of plants because people demand potted plants all year round.

My Nursery owner, Moreen Yunus based in Sigatoka says that she has been operating her nursery since 2006 and she has been an active ROC market patron.

“It’s maybe two years, but the rock market sale is a very good sale, and we’re enjoying it here too. It’s a good Sunday for us, the third Sunday is a good Sunday for us.”

Yunus adds that she is based in Sigatoka but she gets customers from all over the country.

Markets like these provide an excellent opportunity for many micro, small, and medium enterprises that do not have established storefronts. They allow these businesses to connect with new customers and gain valuable exposure.