Women push for market alternatives

Lae News, Normal
Source:

By DAISY TANIOVA PAWA

WOMEN representatives in Morobe have called on the provincial government to be realistic and provide an alternative to the public markets.
The representatives said they appreciated deputy governor Koni Iguan’s support for the construction of a separate market, but asked him to provide funding as a sign of his support.
The representatives were Kelly Dilaila, Morobe women’s social action forum facilitator, church representative Jackie Baur of the ELC-PNG and women’s representative for Ahi LLG Tama Edward.
They proposed an extension to the existing market as one of their three alternatives.
This, they said, would allow women to sell their produce under shelter and not to “sit out in the smoldering heat of the sun and have their crops go bad due to the heat”.
They said many vendors they spoke to told them that they were not making money because of the heat.
The women representatives said the Lae markets were getting too crowded and many vendors fight daily for adequate and convenient space to sell their produce.