City to get vegetable market

 By LAZARUS BIRA

A WHOLESALE vegetable market for farmers in Central and other provinces will be built in Port Moresby.

The design of the market by Stocks and Market Ltd has been submitted to the Fresh Produce Development Agency. The total cost of the project is K35 million.

Agency board chairman, Fabian Chow (pictured) said the market facility, to be built at 8-Mile, would provide growers a place to sell their fresh produce.

The Government agency provides technical assistance and advice to farmers, supports crop cultivation to enable people to be self-sufficient and improve their lives.

Chow said the intention was for retailers to come and buy in bulk from small farmers and resell them.

“We understand the difficulties farmers had in selling and storing their produce,” he said.

He said vegetables could be stored safely inside so they did not go bad.

“This is the best way to help farmers. They do not have to worry about the market and concentrate on producing vegetables,” Chow said.

“This facility will help the people to move from subsistence farming into commercialised farming.”

Agency general manager Greg Liripu said the market would supply all other small markets in the city.

Liripu said the farmers would be charged reasonable fees to use the facility.

Market project coordinator Maris Taolam said the Government had given K2 million for the project and K1 million to complete the design of the facility.