New market to boost farmers’ income
City Hall makes room for farmers in a prime property in Cebu City’s downtown area
THE site that Cebu City Hall employees pinned their hopes on to finally own a home has now become the Cebu City farmers’ hope for uplifting their livelihood.
The 7,281-square-meter property where the Citicenter Commercial Complex used to stand was the proposed site for the housing project for close to 5,000 City Hall employees.
Former mayor Michael Rama proposed it, but the project did not materialize.
Early this year, a portion of the property was used as a pay parking area. Yesterday, it became a farmer’s market. Over 30 stalls displayed fresh produce yesterday during the soft opening of the new farmers’ market at the Citicenter on Junquera St.
Emilio Secretaria, president of the Cebu City Farmers Federation, an umbrella organization of 28 farmers’ organizations in the city, said that the newly opened market will benefit some 1,800 families who depend on farming for their livelihood.
But only 50 families will be given a chance to display their goods at a given time. To be fair to all farmers, they will take turns selling at the market.
With thousands of farmers in the city, not all of them can be accommodated at the Carbon market and other satellite markets like the farmers’ market at the South Road Properties and in Plaza Sugbo every Thursday and Friday.
But what makes the farmers’ market in Barangay Kamagayan appealing to the farmer-vendors is that the City Government supports them.
Secretaria said the City Agriculture Department provides a truck to transport the farmers and their produce from the mountain barangays to the Citicenter every three days. The farmers, though, have to pay the City P50 a day for the rent.
“I will negotiate that with the City, considering that these are our local farmers and they need all the help they can get,” said Secretaria.
But the goods will still come out cheaper than what they are sold for in supermarkets and department stores since the farmers don’t have to pay for the transportation and there is no middleman. Consumers buy the products directly from the farmers.
Farmers from Barangay Adlaon already got a handful of customers at 10 a.m. yesterday, just a couple of hours after they displayed a wide range of products, from mangoes, cabbage, beans, bananas, santol, camansi and other fruits and vegetables.
City Agriculturist Joelito Baclayon said that one thing buyers should look out for is the organic produce that will be sold there soon.
These were not available yet yesterday as the market is still on soft opening. It will formally open on Tuesday.
By Tuesday, the market will also have meat products.
Kamagayan Barangay Councilor Celestino Avila said the market is located in a prime area considering that it is surrounded by four major streets—P. Del Rosario, Sanciangko, Jakosalem and Junquera.
There is also ample parking space for those with vehicles.