H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie (third right), Minister of Municipality and Environment, visiting a stall after inaugurating Al Shahaniya yard for local products, yesterday. Pic: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula
Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie opened the fifth winter vegetable market yesterday in Al Shahaniya, that will give local farmer another platform to market their products directly to customers without middlemen.
The Ministry plans to open another new vegetable markets in the Central Market and two air-conditioned complexes for marketing local farm products round the year in Al Mazrouah and Al Wakra.
“The new market ‘Al Shihaniya Yard’ has enabled 18 local farms to offer fresh vegetables to the customers at reasonable prices,” said the Minister speaking with media on the sidelines of inauguration ceremony.
With opening of the new market, the number of participating farms in such markets has reached 124. Other vegetable markets are currently being operated in Al Mazrouha, Al Wakra, Al Khor-Al Zakhira and Al Shamal.
“The winter vegetable markets help market 30 percent of total products produced by local farms,” said the Minister. He said that the Ministry has planned to launch a new programme to market the products of local farms in collaboration with Mahaseel, a marketing arm of Hassad Food by the middle of this year.
“Initially one company will market such products by boosting the supply to local market,” said the Minister.
Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser Al Thani, Assistant Undersecretary of Agricultural Affairs, Livestock and Fisheries, said that the Ministry is keen to open vegetable markets to cover all parts of the country. “Al Shihaniya Yard will offer all vegetable products, fruits, honey, fish, meat and poultry products,” said Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser.
He said that the market will host a number of festivals like honey and flower to attract the buyers. Yusuf Khalid Al Khulaifi, Director of Agriculture Affairs Department, said that new vegetable markets will open and they will be distributed in a way to cover most part of the country.
“The Ministry plans to open two air-conditioned complexes in Al Mazrouah and Al Wakra for marketing the products of local farms round the year,” he said adding that the existing winter vegetable markets at both places will be closed once new one come into operation.
Many varieties of farm-fresh vegetables were showcased in large quantity at Al Shahaniya Yard yesterday. The farmers said that they got better prices at the yard compared to the Central Market.
“According to the prices of vegetables announced by the Ministry on Thursday, we are able to earn QR2 to QR3 more here compared to the Central Market,” a Vendor from Ali bin Fugat Farm operating at Al Jamiliya told The Peninsula.The market offered yesterday tomato, radish, cabbage, cauliflower, egg plants, beans, a number of leafy vegetables among many more.
A box of tomatoes of about 2.5kg was being sold at QR10, a box of beans about 2kg was available at QR14. A box of cauliflowers about 2kg and a box of cabbages about 3kg was offered at QR12 and QR10 respectively. Leafy vegetables were being sold at QR3 for a bundle and QR20 for a box of seven bundles.
