Tanna farmer earns VT200,000 despite costs

December 1, 2024 9:43 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook

By Doddy Morris.

A female carrot farmer from Tanna Island is earning over VT200,000 from her sales in Port Vila, despite incurring expenses for transport and sea fares.

Mery Naket is a vendor at the Port Vila Market House, known for selling carrots annually in Port Vila. This year, she made her first trip to Port Vila last week with six baskets of carrots, each valued at VT13,000–15,000.

This week, she arrived with another six baskets. Naket explained that she usually pays VT1,200 per basket for sea fare, VT3,000 for transportation from her home in Tanna to the ship, and another VT3,000 from the Port Vila wharf to the market house. Her total expenses amount to VT13,200.

“With these six baskets, I can make VT12,000–15,000 per basket. It’s much better compared to selling in Tanna, where prices are lower, and I can’t make a big profit,” she said.

“Transportation is quite expensive. Even if I only bring three baskets, I still have to pay VT3,000, so that’s a challenge. Another issue is when there are many of us selling carrots—sometimes the carrots can rot before they’re sold.”

Naket shared advice for other mothers considering bringing their produce to Port Vila. “When preparing carrots in Tanna, it’s important to clean them properly and ensure they’re well-dried before packing them into baskets. This helps them last up to a week in Port Vila.”

She added that her sales this year are going well, and she plans to make one more trip with another six baskets of carrots from Tanna.