Centenary farmers market opens
A mega-structure built largely with Bhutanese government funding has come up to replace the old weekend vegetable market in Thimphu. It was inaugurated yesterday by Her Royal Highness Ashi Dechen Yangzom Wangchuck. Believed to be the brainchild of former Agriculture Minister, Lyponpo Sangay Ngedup, the two-storied vegetable market, now called the Centenary Farmers Market, was constructed with a fund of about Nu 90 million from the government and a Nu 10 million contribution from the Government of India.
The new vegetable market which will be open six-day in a week will have 458 stalls; 185 stalls on the upper floor and 273 at the ground floor. There will be eight coffee stalls, two meat shops, five toilets, a green house, two input sales counter, three offices and 19 storages. Depending on the requirement, the storage facilities will be converted into diary and meat stalls. The stalls will be allocated to vendors soon.
A separate committee will allot the stalls. Officials said the 200-plus licensed vegetable vendors will be accommodated first. Over 1,000 new business people had shown interest to obtain stalls. Ministry of Agriculture officials said the ministry had taken charge of the building from the contractor in September and would soon hand it over to the Thimphu City Corporation.
The Agriculture Minister, Lyonpo (Dr) Pema Gyamtsho, said that the market had stalls earmarked for the farmers from other far-off dzongkhags for promotional purposes.
The Agriculture Minister said that there were a lot of problems related to congestion, sanitation and storage with the old structure. The new structure is expected to rejuvenate the vegetable weekend market by making things more convenient for farmers, traders and consumers.
The Thimphu weekend market is by far the largest domestic market for the farmers of Bhutan. Farmers from as far as Lingshi in the north, Tashiyangtse in the east, and Sarpang, Dagana and Tsirang in the south bring their farm products to the market.
It has also turned out to be one of the most favoured spots for tourists and a recreational place for people from all walks of life.
The Minister for Works and Human Settlements, Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba, said that about 60-70 percent of Bhutanese were farmers so it was important to have a good market for their products. He said that the stalls would be allocated with ‘Dranem and Drangden’ (equity and justice) to regular license holders and farmers.
Another committee would look into the management aspects of the market, said Lyonpo Pema Gyamtsho, adding that all the waste produced, being bio-degradable, will be taken to compost plant in Serbithang.
The committee will also look into the possibility of creating a reserve fund from the rentals of the stalls that could be used for maintenance and improvement of the market.
The new market has three ramps that will enable customers to use trolleys while buying vegetables from the upper floor. Eight staircases connect the ground floor to the upper floor. A green house run by the Druk Seed Corporation built in the centre of the upper floor will house flowers and plants.
Lyonpo Pema Gyamtsho said that the Ministry of Agriculture has plans to setup similar markets in and around Thimphu at Changjiji, Changzamtog, Dechenchholing, and Motithang so as to relieve the congestion in the new market. Once these are in place, the Centenary farmers market will partly be converted into a wholesale market that could cater to the periphery markets.
According to earlier media reports, the construction of the building had been delayed. Minjur Dorji, the chief engineer at the site, said that time extension had been given to the constructor till June and the actual construction had been completed by then. He said some peripheral works such as drainage and tiling, which were not in the original plan, were done after that.
He said the total cost of the construction is yet to be ascertained. The initial contract estimate was Nu 80.726 million. The roofing materials and construction of green house had been funded by the government of India.
Construction of the new vegetable market began in April last year and the vegetable market was temporarily shifted to the YHSS ground. Recently, the YHSS ground was taken over by the centenary celebration committee and the vegetable vendors currently sell vegetables in an open space near the new Centenary farmers market.
People felt that doma eaters will waste no time to redecorate the walls and pillars of the beautiful structure with lime and its floors with spit within a week.
By Rabi C. Dahal (Bhutan Observer)