File Picture of Al Mazrouah yard
DOHA: Al Mazourah Yard, the new market for locally produced vegetables opened last year, expects more buyers and sellers when it reopens in October for the next harvest season.
The market has gained popularity among consumers and farm owners as it successfully abolished middlemen blamed for high vegetable prices in the central wholesale market. The perishables were sold at incredibly low prices when it first opened last December.
The number of farms taking part in the next season with a wide range of products is expected to double from last year.
There is a waiting list of farmers seeking permission to set up stalls at the yard in October. There will be 45 stalls this year, compared with 22 last year, according to Al Sharq. The market will be open from October until June. During the harvest season in Qatar, prices of vegetables fall considerably in the local market, with the entry of several local varieties. However, farmers have been complaining of low profits with middlemen emerging as the major gainers. The new market which doesn’t have the auction system existing in the central wholesale market has given farmers the opportunity to sell their products directly to consumers,
Established by the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with Hassad Food Company, Al Mazrouah Yard is located near Umm Salal Sports Club, some 22km north of Doha, off the Al Shamal Expressway.
About 350,000 buyers thronged the market last time over 18 weeks and some 170,000 cartons of vegetables were sold, with about 3,200 cartons daily, said Al Sharq.
The market used to function on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7am to 7pm. Traders were allowed to sell their products at prices lower than the daily price list issued by the Ministry of Business and Trade.
Encouraged by the success of the new experiment, the Ministry of Environment is now looking for new locations in Al Khor and Al Wakra to open more markets on the lines of Al Mazrouah Yard, said the daily.
The ministry is working on another project to set up a livestock market similar to Al Mazrouah Yard. This will help livestock owners from across the country to bring animals to one place and sell them directly to prospective customers. The Peninsula
