Lack of storage facilities spoil fresh produce at Manama Central Market, say vendors

TDT | Manama              

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Vendors at the Manama Central Market are pleading for a cold storage facility as they are having difficulty storing leftover fruits and vegetables amid the swelling heat. Currently, the vendors say they buy limited quantities of farm produce so that it does not get damaged. Vendors claimed that having a cold storage facility inside the market would be practical. Meanwhile, other vendors keep their fruits and veggies in their homes or a small refrigerator close by, although this is outside the main market.

According to vendors, certain fruits and vegetables deteriorate quickly. They stated that since July is such a hot month, the situation has gotten worse. "We face problems every year during the summer when the vegetables easily get rotten. If the government could look into the matter and come up with plans, it would benefit us," a trader named Yusuf Ali told The Daily Tribune. "The market already lacks air conditioning, and this month’s heat is intolerable. We can endure the heat, but we don’t want the fruits and vegetables to spoil because it will affect our business," he added.

Yusuf explained that "Every day after the market closes, we go to a nearby location where there is a small storage facility and store the leftover fruits and vegetables there. The following morning, when the market reopens, we bring them back." He further said, "We have already raised this issue that we face during the summer, but there has been no response." The Daily Tribune observed the persistent rumour that many sellers discard their leftover vegetables in the surrounding trash cans, where they are then cleaned up and sold by other street vendors.

Yusuf declined this false rumour when questioned about it, saying, "A few years ago maybe this may have happened, but I believe it is a fake rumour, and whatever is leftover is not thrown away until and unless it is not rotten." The Daily Tribune recently reported that many traders blame Bahrain's largest market’s faulty air conditioning as the scorching summer heat flares, causing massive quantities of fruits, vegetables, and meat to spoil before being sold, which results in business losses.

In addition to air conditioning, traders are pointing fingers at further issues like poor hygiene, and toilets have been under construction for over a month.