BY JOY OFASIA
HEFTY market fees and lack of adequate spaces at the Honiara Central Market are some of the challenges experienced by rural women from Guadalcanal Province when trying to sell produces.
According to the President of Guadalcanal Council of Women, Mrs Alice Hou, these are pressing issues that are greatly affecting rural women of this province.
Mrs Hou said Honiara City Council (HCC) usually charges between $30 and $40 per vendor at the Honiara Central Market and this is too high for most vendors to afford.
Another point highlighted by Mrs Hou is, so-called ‘resellers’ based in Honiara have always taken up most of the spaces at the Honiara Central Market.
Reseller is a term widely used in Honiara to describe those vendors who purchase local produces from farmers and then resell them at the same selling price as ones charged by rural women farmers but with often a smaller quantity.
According to Mrs Hou, those resellers seemed to be dominating all spaces at the market and that greatly affects rural women farmers of Guadalcanal.
“Instead of seeing market vendors who travel very far distances to sell their products using the tables and having enough space to utilize, we see instead resellers from town occupying all spaces leaving villagers side-lined with their produces along the side walk.
“As a woman leader of Guadalcanal, it is heart-breaking to see my sisters of Guadalcanal being ignored of their struggle and cries to secure good market space,” she expressed.
Selina Bera, who hails from West Guadalcanal, raised similar sentiment.
“Women from Babanakiva in West Guadalcanal complains on how they bring their produces in bulk and were forced by resellers in the main market to lower the price of their goods.
“This is a heartening scene when local women from villages are being pushed away with their produces when refusing to lower the prices of the goods to sell in bulk for the resellers.
“These women often sell their goods in bulk because they do not have enough space at the main market to display their goods to sell in single,” she said. On this note, the President of Guadalcanal Council of
Women added that this is becoming a serious issue that needs to be immediately addressed by leaders of this province.
“I call on Guadalcanal leaders to act on this.
“The Guadalcanal Province Council of Women and other stake holders are ready to help as long as there is a space of land.
“We look forward to work together with our new leaders to work on the Guadalcanal women policy targeting two market sites on the East and West end of Honiara town,” said Mrs Hou.
However, Mrs. Hou acknowledges the initiative taken by caretaker Member of Parliament for North West Guadalcanal for developing the new market space for rural farmers of his constituency.
The market site was already opened but is yet to be utilized.
Mrs Hou understands from the vendors that currently the new market site is not ready because of the shelter, which is not protective enough for vendors to use the whole day.
“I would like to thank the outgoing MP for North West Guadalcanal for the initiative to offer this site for market purposes for the people to use, especially women of North West Guadalcanal.
“There are vendors who travel from very far places bringing their children with them, who needs good shelter to display their products and at the same time be relaxed and comfortable while selling their products.”
