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Rising fuel prices and mounting living costs are forcing families and businesses across Fiji to make tough changes to how they live, travel and operate, as financial pressure continues to intensify nationwide.
In maritime communities, the impact is being felt strongly, with households cutting back on purchases from the mainland and carefully managing travel to reduce expenses.
Businesses are also feeling the brunt of it as they look to adjust their offerings and services to manage operational costs.
Among those heavily affected is Kolinio Mataiyaga’s family, who reside in a maritime community.
Mataiyaga says families in his community are forced to make difficult adjustments, including reducing everyday purchases and carefully coordinating travel between islands and the mainland to manage fuel expenses.
“They are now having to buy the fuel at the new price, and with that, they have had to cut down on some of the things that we normally buy before the increase in fuel prices, just to cater for the fuel that has to transfer them from the island to the mainland and then back to the island.”
He also notes that some households are relying more on shared travel arrangements and selling extra island produce in the mainland to help offset costs.
Businesses are also feeling the strain.
The Kimaya Fiji Group’s General Manager, Resorts, Chris Green, said the Group has been forced to review its operations, including reducing menu offerings and shifting away from imported goods in favour of locally sourced produce in an effort to manage rising operational expenses.
“We’ve made our menus smaller and slightly reduced. We’ve taken out more of the expense of imported products with more of a shift of focus on local produce, which is good for us. It’s good for the guests too because they’re getting more of a Fijian experience for that.”
With the interim fuel surcharge of $5.91 per kilowatt-hour coming into effect tomorrow, concerns are mounting over the additional pressure this increase is expected to bring.
