Page 10 - IB August 2020

Fiji Fiji

JOBLESS NUMBERS SOAR IN FIJI

SUBSISTENCE LIVING, EARLY PENSION WITHDRAWAL
ARE POPULAR FALLBACK OPTIONS

By Samisoni Pareti driven jobless men, women and youths back to subsistence
Photos: Justin J Naisua farming, or fishing.

Unscripted and unplanned, Fijians have returned quietly to Figures are daunting, and likely to worsen
the land and the sea over the past months as the impacts of A survey of tourism businesses by the International Finance
job losses brought about by the COVID19 pandemic began to Corporation and Fiji’s Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tour-
bite. ism and Transport found that if the current situation doesn’t
In the tourism belts of Nadi and nearby Sigatoka, former change by this November (a likely scenario given recent in-
hotel and resort workers – in their hundreds – are turning to creases in COVID diagnoses in the Australian and New Zealand
farming and fishing virtually overnight. source markets), over 500 of the 3,569 businesses surveyed
Necessity is driving them, and no one knows when, how, or anticipate bankruptcy. If international travel does not resume
indeed if, this quiet revolution will end. within six months, 60.5% of those surveyed will close or move
“With many in the village losing their work, we no longer away from the tourism sector.
have a steady income to buy food so we’re planting our own,” The study further found that 20% of tourism businesses
says Epeli Ganilau. are currently unable to service their debt, and a further 16%
He is Turaganikoro, village administrator of Sanasana, the expect to default on their debt within one to four months,
traditional owners of the land which hosts the multi-million and have called for loan repayment moratoria, further tax
dollar InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa and the Natadola reductions/holidays, and financial support for recovery and
Bay Championship Golf Course. rent deferral.
With almost all the men and women in the village laid off Meanwhile a study by the International Labour Organisation
work from the resort and its neighbouring golf course, Sana- on the impact of COVID-19 on employment also released at
sana has revived its youth and women clubs to spearhead the the end of last month found half of the workers surveyed had
return to subsistence farming and fishing. lost their jobs, and most of those still in employment were on
Other villages in Fiji’s tourism belt on Viti Levu’s west coast reduced hours. More than half of redundant workers said they
and Vanua Levu’s south coast around Savusavu town have done could not find jobs and needed financial support, and 46% had
the same; closure of hotels and supporting businesses has ventured into subsistence living and operating a microbusi-

Flight Attendant Turns Events Planner
Nadro Events Solutions was birthed a year ago by owner, Mili
Naituyaga.
She was then flying as a senior flight attended with Fiji’s inter-
national airline, Fiji Airways, but felt she needed to have a small
business of her own.
She registered the company, acquired office equipment including
tables and chairs and printed marketing cards and flyers.
“Like everyone else, I had no idea that we would lose our job so
suddenly but when it did happen, I just went straight into running
my events and catering business,” says Mili.
She operates her business from her beautiful Sunflower Hill villa,
perched on a small rise beside the Queens Highway, not far from
her hometown of Sigatoka.
In addition to planning and managing social events, Nadro Events
Solutions also offers catering.
Once or twice a week, Nadro Events Solutions takes orders for
delivery of packed seafood lunches for office workers and travel-
lers. Her helpers include two close friends who have also recently
lost their jobs.

Nadro Events Solutions Contacts:
Email: nadroevents@yahoo.com
Facebook: ttps://www.facebook.com/nadro.nes.10

Forever the hostess, Mili serves lunch to Joji at her Sunflower Hill villa near Sigatoka Town.

10 Islands Business, August 2020