4 hours ago
5
Senior Reporter
Farmers and vendors at the Princes Town Market are divided over a decision to move farmers from their usual selling area outside the market into the main market building.
Farmers complained yesterday that municipal police and officials of the Princes Town Regional Corporation moved them from an open area commonly known as the Farmers Market into the market building, where vegetable goods are sold by vendors.
They complained that for more than 20 years the Farmers Market had operated at the back of the market building.
Farmer Lincoln Baboolal complained that they were not given prior notice about the move, noting that the corporation had only recently built a shed to provide shelter for them.
“We now get this shed and they remove me and put me inside the market. The market you could fall down and dead. The market heated inside of there, and it have no access around the market to drop off any goods.”
He complained that the stalls within the market building were too small and the space too cramped to accommodate their goods.
“That is unfair. We are not regular selling. We sell just one day—a Sunday, for five or six hours.”
Another farmer, Terrence Daniel, complained that it was also difficult to get their goods into the building. He admitted that his sales were not affected, but said the stalls inside the market were small.
“It congested because the stall is more smaller than outside. We have more access and more freedom outside,” he said, adding, “When you have to tote goods inside of there, it’s very difficult.”
He said the corporation ought to be more understanding of the farmers’ plight.
“We are the backbone feeding the nation and when you stifling we inside of there now, what are you doing? You are killing everything. The whole economy, everything.”
However, Kessyann Boochoon, who has been selling inside the market for more than 20 years, welcomed the move.
She complained that farmers sell produce which she and other vendors sell in the market, taking away their sales.
She said they also have to compete with roadside vendors.
“They need to come in the market. Let everybody sell. Let the customers have options to walk in and shop around by everybody.”
“They saying they are farmers and they are not farmers. Yes, they may be planting one or two things. But they are buying just like us and selling back outside here. So it is unfair.”
Meanwhile, fruit vendor Subash Ali, who sells in the Fruit Market, a separate building opposite the main market, complained that he is losing thousands of dollars because of competition from other market and roadside vendors.
He explained, “They built two sides of the market. One side was supposed to sell vegetables alone and the other side fruits. Now they are allowing people in the vegetable side to sell fruits. Nobody is coming in the fruit market to buy. Since they build over the market, everybody thinking the market is closed on that (fruit) side.”
The father of three added, “It’s two weeks now we keep throwing away we produce, we goods.”
Ali also disagreed with the farmers being relocated inside the building.
Meanwhile, in another section of the vegetable market, fish vendors complained about the deplorable conditions under which they ply their trade.
Terry Ragoo said the market was closed for a month for repairs, which included repairing their chiller, which had been non-functional for three years.
However, he said only the lights were repaired.
With the chiller not working, he said they have to spend $240 per week on ice.
“All the stalls them, all the tiles falling off in the back there. The AC not working, glass (windows) break and they not even sending anybody to do cleaning, they just washing it down with water.”
He questioned what the money was spent on.
Princes Town Regional Corporation chairman Gowrie Roopnarine, however, said the farmers were informed a month ago that they would be moved into the main building.
He said the decision was based on complaints by vendors selling inside the market about Sunday morning farmers being allowed to sell outside the market, resulting in customers not buying inside the market.
The chairman said there were sufficient stalls inside the market to accommodate the Sunday morning farmers.
“I know being the first day some vendors may have concerns but I do believe that this will work in the best interest for everyone because members of the public who shop at the Princes Town Market will have a better opportunity to purchase because all the vendors will be in one area.”
He said they would monitor the new arrangement and meet with the vendors in due course.
On the issue of the repairs, he said they had to rewire the entire building where the main market is housed.
“At our next financial year when we get an allocation for the market, I will be meeting with the vendors to prioritize what we should do first and definitely we will be improving the best that we can with the allocation that comes to the corporation.”
He also assured that they would be cracking down on roadside vending.
English (US) ·