Reforms planned for Ta' Qali market

The Rural Affairs and Environment Ministry intends to speed up the development of the vegetable market as regards facilities and procedures.

A government statement said that until the reform plans take place, the market's operation would continue to be monitored.

Meanwhile, the middlemen at the vegetable market have been instructed to guarantee that the proportion between products ordered beforehand and put aside and products available to buyers who went to the vegetable market remained fair, without the need to impose new controls.

The government said the GRTU, Association of General Retailers and Traders, would be explaining to buyers the procedures that were being implemented to ensure a more efficient operation, which would be fair for all parties.

The ministry and the GRTU have now analysed the procedures of the middlemen at the vegetable market at Ta' Qali.

The exercise was carried out to establish how many products were put aside before the opening of the market for buyers; for whom they were being put aside; and whether this was negatively affecting prices and limiting choice for buyers.

It has resulted from the analysis that farmers preferred the current system; and the absolute majority of those who pre-booked the products were greengrocers and hawkers, who sold fresh fruit and vegetables.

It also transpired that at the opening times of the vegetable market, there was always a fair choice and problems only arose when certain products were in short supply.

Procedures at the market went under scrutiny after the GRTU complained that nothing concrete had been done to guarantee that the middlemen at the Ta' Qali vegetable market did not continue to put aside the best products and deny the buyers a true choice.

The GRTU had said the Rural Affairs and the Environment Ministry had not taken serious action to find an acceptable solution for all parties, despite the fact that it had set up a steering committee to help solve the problems.