Winter vegetable markets to reopen today with new timings

Winter vegetable markets will reopen today after three-day Eid Al Fitr break with new timings, offering a number of farm fresh local vegetables at competitive prices.

“The three winter vegetable markets out of five — Al Mazrouha, Al Wakra and Al Khor-and-Al Zakhira — will resume operation from today from 6am to 12 noon,” General Supervisor of Winter Vegetable Markets at the Ministry of Municipality  and Environment (MME), Abdurrahman Al Sulaiti told The Peninsula.

He said that the winter vegetable markets at Al Sheehaniya and Al Shamal have been closed for this season. Al Sulaiti said that the markets will operate strictly following the state preventive and precautionary measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 to protect the visitors and vendors from infection.

 “The agricultural season in Qatar for this year is the largest due to remarkable growth in the production of vegetables which reached over 30 percent more this year compared to last year,” said Al Sulaiti.

“The winter vegetable markets opened for this season in the beginning of November when the harvest of vegetables at local farms began,” said Al Sualiti, adding that three markets will keep operating until the end of the production  at the farms.

He said that many types of vegetable will be available at the winter vegetable markets including tomato, cucumber, zucchini, leafy vegetables, egg plants, pumpkins, sweet melon, water melon, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, mushroom  and onions.

Abdurrahman Al Sulaiti (left), General Supervisor of Winter Vegetable Markets at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), and Ali Ahmad Al Kaabi, owner of a local farm ‘Global Farm for Agricultural Supplies’.

Regarding other business activities rather than vegetables, Al Sualiti said: “Fish outlets will be available in Al Wakra and fruit shops in all three markets.”

Regarding the timing of winter vegetable markets, Al Sulaiti said: “Customers prefer to visit winter vegetable markets at night during Ramadan and during the day in other months.

He said that local farms are producing high quality vegetables which were classified into A, B and C categories as per the quality for pricing and they are available in local market. 

Local farms said that they completed their preparations to supply fresh vegetables in large quantity from greenhouse and farms to winter vegetable markets. 

Ali Ahmad Al Kaabi, owner of a local farm ‘Global Farm for Agricultural Supplies’ said that greenhouses are pumping verity of vegetables in large quantity, however the production of farms reduced to few types of vegetables as the agriculture season is going to end.

“Now, we are producing various types of vegetables including eggplant, cucumber, tomato, green chili, capsicum in greenhouses and sweet melon and pumpkin in the farms,” said Al Kaabi. Speaking about the demand of local vegetable, Al Kaabi said: “Local agricultural produce attracted large number of customers because of its quality and freshness as it reached within few hours from farms to the shelves.” 

Regarding the new timing of winter vegetable markets, he said that the timing is suitable as the outlets at the markets are shaded so there will be no problem at all to operate from 6am to 12noon.

Regarding the quality of local vegetables, he said that in cooperation with the Qatar Development Bank, the Global Farm for Agricultural Supplies participated in a number of international agricultural exhibitions in Moscow, Berlin, Paris, Singapore and with the support of MME in Tunis where the visitors were surprised to see Qatari vegetables.

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