Roadside vendors of Vakabalea in Navua now have clean and uniform row of stalls that will catch the eyes of customers and travellers along the Queens Highway.

These vendors of Vakabalea were using temporary tin or wooden structures, some that have seen too many years and are worn down.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama today handed over six semi-permanent and three portable stalls to nine roadside vendors of Vakabalea.

Bainimarama says portable stalls can be packed up and rolled up from the homes to the roadside while permanent stalls will be set up in prime locations on the roadside for vendors who sell their produce on a daily basis.

He says the semi permanent stalls are permanent structures but can be removed if there is a road development or in cases of adverse weather.

Bainimarama has also stressed that these stalls are made of high quality materials and are certified by government engineers to be able to withstand up to category 5 cyclone conditions.

The Prime Minister has highlighted that these stalls are given free of charge but will be given under a lease agreement which will be between vendors and Ministry of Trade.

He says these nine vendors are the first batch of the vendors in the country that are benefitting from this program and he is confident that one day this program will improve the lives of every rural roadside vendor in Fiji.

Government is expected to hand over 20 semi permanent stalls and 10 portable vendor stalls in the first phase of this project.

Bainimarama says this handover is just the beginning of the program they expect to grow every year reaching more vendors across the country, giving them facilities they need to run their businesses well and to operate safely.

A semi-permanent stall has cost $21,000 while a portable stall has cost $7,000 and Ministry of Trade has funded the project.

Meanwhile, when questioned, Fiji Roads Authority’s CEO, Jonathan Moore says they are expected to install street lights in Vakabalea which will also bring relief to the vendors.