Few expats in markets: Vendors

THE Coronavirus (Covid-9) fears have caused a significant decline in expatriate customers, Lae Market Vendors and Growers Association say.
Association secretary Ruth Steve and treasurer Ruth Ring say the decline had seen vendors, especially those in the black-market space, the most affected.
They said their income depended largely on the expatriate customers.
Steve sells avocados which she buys from Eastern Highlands, while Ring buys oranges from Jiwaka.
Both women said transporting fresh produce over a long distance on poor road conditions had unfavourable outcomes.
“Many of the produce are damaged or are rotten by the time the produce reach Lae.
“So we throw almost half a bag of produce away.
“And because we pay high fares to transport our produce, we mostly depend on expatriate customers who buy in bulk, to at least make a good return.
“But with Covid-19, our customers are opting for supermarkets instead and this is affecting us badly,” she lamented.