Ministry of Environment officials at press conference, yesterday.
DOHA: Local farmhouse owners, who mainly grow vegetables, are heaving a sigh of relief as the government has freed them from the shackles of middlemen and allotted them a huge covered area where they can now sell their produce directly to consumers as well as retailers.
The covered space, which has been built by the Ministry of Environment, is located near Umm Salal Sports Club on Al Shamal expressway, and is close to the 22 farmhouses in the country that grow vegetables. The market will be managed by Hassad Food Company and will begin operating on Thursday, December 27.
The new vegetable market will be open three days a week — on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays — from 7am until 7pm. On the opening day, the market will function from 10am onwards.
Local vegetable growers have so far been forced to bring their produce to the Central Market in Doha and auction it to middlemen — a practice that will cease the coming Thursday.
However, auctions at the Central Market will continue and the local growers can sell their produce there if they wish, a senior environment ministry official said yesterday.
“The market will be run by Hassad Food Company,” said Yousuf Khalid Al Khulaifi, head of the agricultural affairs department of the environment ministry.
Addressing a news conference, he said plans were afoot to set up another market near the new one in the near future where fresh chicken, fish and red meat will be sold.
The local farms grow many vegetables, including tomatoes, potatoes, cucumber, ‘koosa’, eggplant as well as spinach and other leafy greens. The farms are active only between October and June.
The new market will, however, not be allowed to sell at the retail and wholesale prices prevailing at the Central Market, Al Khulaifi said. He added that the new marketing strategy for local vegetables was aimed at breaking the hold of middlemen on vegetable sales.
The farm owners will, thus, be able to get fair prices for their produce, the official said. “They can bring their produce to the new market and sell directly,” he added.
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