PELUM Zimbabwe welcomes re-opening of Farmers’ Markets

Farmers stuck with produce beginning to rot at Mbare Musika on day 1 of the initial 21 day lock down period as buyers were nowhere to be found. Farmers had come from as far as Chimanimani and Chipinge (Atleast 415 km and 451 km from Harare, respectively). Photo: Bustop TV

The Harare City Council, the local authority running Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare, announced the opening of three farmers markets. In a post on their official Facebook page, on 24 May 2020 the City Fathers stated that Mbare, Hatcliffe and Lusaka Farmers Markets will open from 0400hrs to 1130hrs after which period the market area will be cleaned.

“Farmers bringing produce for the following day will then be allowed to offload their produce and make their entry payments but will not be allowed to trade until the following day. All retail Fruit and Vegetable Markets across town are open to the public from 0600hrs to 1630 hours daily. All operations outside the stated hours are illegal and in contravention of the law,” the Harare City Council statement read.

The Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Zimbabwe applauds the City Fathers for ensuring that farmers have access to major markets. This issue had been overlooked in the initial lockdown period. Farmers’ markets such as these are a major revenue source for farmers and the main source of food for the majority of Zimbabweans.

“While we applaud efforts being made to re-open markets in a manner that protects citizens from contracting Coronavirus, farmers and citizens still remain concerned about the trading time and the closure of other major markets throughout the country,” says Gertrude Pswarayi-Jabson, PELUM Zimbabwe Country Coordinator.

Gertrude says more consultation, participation, engagement and dialogue is needed to resolve the issues related to farmers markets so that sustainable food systems are established.