Lae vendors want space

By BRADLEY MARIORI
VENDORS at Lae’s main market have called on the city authority to build extra shelters for them to sell their produce, as many of them are forced to trade outside the venue. Despite extra shelters being erected at the main market recently, there is still need for more shelters with the increased number of people coming to sell garden produce and other items. Women, particularly those from rural Morobe, have been selling their produce outside the market, exposed to the sun and rain. Jolie Ngayu, a mother from Wampar in Morobe, said they were considered by the city’s administration, especially when the facility was supposed to benefit them. Ngayu said the weather impacted how they sold their goods with rain forcing many to sell cheaply in order to return home. “I am calling on the authorities to build a market in Lae that will cater for us the local (Morobe) mothers because all the space inside the shelters at the main is taken up by mothers and vendors from outside of the province,” she said. “We want some recognition from our local MPs too. “Our local MPs must sit with the city authority, talk and find ways to build a separate market for local mothers. “We were not treated fairly when we bring our produce to the main market.” Another mother, Theresa Singwa, said this issue has been there for years. Singwa said even with the new shelters built with the help of the National Fisheries Authority, it was not enough. “We cannot bring our produce back home if we can’t sell them,” she said. “We are making losses because of that. “We want our leaders to see that.”“Leaders cannot turn a blind eye on the issues faced by Morobe mothers every day. “This is our town and city. “We must be given some prominence too.”