By Ayman Adly/Staff Reporter
Prices of locally produced vegetables at the Abu Hamour wholesale market have dropped considerably.
While this has come as good news to consumers, some local farmers have expressed concern over the prevailing rates.
There has been good supply of a variety of such products at the market on a daily basis, with the prices of most vegetables being considered reasonable by consumers.
For instance, a box of 6-8kg of fresh, locally produced tomatoes of good quality was found to being sold from QR3 to QR6. Similar quantities of imported tomatoes, mostly Jordanian, cost QR10.
The same applied to medium-quality broccoli, which was being sold for QR8-10 for a box of around 4kg. The price of cucumber was QR8 for a box of about 8kg and QR5-8 for a plastic sack of around 10kg, while eggplants cost QR4-12 for 5-8kg boxes. Other products sold at similarly low prices included zucchini, cauliflower, cabbage and others.
Prices of different fruits remained stable with only strawberry and bananas having relatively high prices, it was found. Among other fruits, oranges of different varieties - from countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, South Africa and Spain - were on display.
While the low prices have been welcomed by customers as well as vendors, some local farmers have stressed that it is difficult to earn profits at the current rates and the sales could barely cover the production costs and sometimes even fall short.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment (MoE) has affirmed that support is provided to local farmers in terms of fertilisers, seeds, pesticides, fuel and necessary equipment. In addition, the MoE has opened a number of yards for the sale and display of such products at different locations in the country in order to encourage farmers to continue making efforts to boost the local production.
The MoE also conducts regular training workshops and seminars to introduce farmers and farm owners to latest advancements in the field. Further, agriculture experts and advisers from the ministry visit such farms and offer their expertise for free.
Similarly, the Central Municipal Council (CMC) has issued a number of recommendations to help farms that face production difficulties solve their problems and take suitable steps. The CMC also suggested that producers be given support to help them sell their products in major supermarkets and shopping centres to get better prices for their products and encourage them to remain active in the business.
