Farmers display their produce at the farmer’s market in an area near the Cebu City Hall in this February 2017 photo. | Cebu City PIO file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Council is urging Mayor Michael Rama to bring back the weekly Farmer’s Market at the Plaza Sugbo grounds.
Councilor Alvin Dizon authored a resolution that hopes to bring back the Farmer’s Market at the City Hall after it was stopped during the start of the pandemic.
“The current war between Russia and Ukraine, which, if the conflict is prolonged, could mean rising food prices as the two countries are important sources of wheat, corn, vegetable oil, among others, and experts say that the conflict could send food prices rising and increase global hunger,” the councilor pointed as his main reason for seeking the return of the market.
The weekly Farmers’ Market is actually an ordinance that was implemented before the pandemic to eliminate middle persons between the farms to the marketplace.
Dizon said the Cebu City government had already opened the city for economic activities and removed major restrictions against COVID-19 and emphasized the continued observance of minimum public health standards.
Given all these developments, he believes there is a need to revive the Farmer’s Market at the Cebu City Hall grounds to give the farmers a venue to directly sell their harvests and for the public to have direct access to the same.
He hopes this will mitigate the high cost of food prices compounded by the continuing threat of the ongoing war.
The councilor also asked the executive department to monitor the prices in the city.
“It is equally important that the City government creates a local mechanism to constantly check and monitor food prices and prices of other basic commodities to safeguard the interest of the consumers and discipline or sanction those unscrupulous business persons who are taking advantage of our precarious situation,” said Dizon.
The Price Monitoring Council has already been convened in order to address the economic situation.
The weekly Farmer’s Market if revived will open from Friday to Sunday.
The City Council is hoping that the mayor will consider reopening the farmers’ market soon so that people will have access to more products at a lower price. /rcg
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