Wholesale trade of fruits and vegetables will commence on June 29 at Khazaen Fruits and Vegetables Central Market 'Silal', and the shops at Al Mawaleh Central Market will be permanently closed, Muscat Municipality said.
On Sunday, May 5, premises will be handed over to tenants operating restaurants, cafes, sorting warehouses, dry stores, and commercial shops to complete the necessary technical preparations for the operation.
The circular added that it will be prohibited to engage in any trading in Al Mawaleh Fruits and Vegetables Central Market after June 29.
On June 9, the units for the wholesale market cold store, central cold storage, onion shed, potato shed and administrative offices will be handed over to the tenants.
The One-Stop Inspection Platform will commence on June 22 at Silal.
The circular added that the lessees of the cold stores (wholesale market building/central cold storage) will receive an additional reduction in rental value for the first contract year, along with an extended exemption period from rent, provided the contract is signed before May 20.
All companies leasing various commercial units at Silal are requested to provide a copy of the labour cards of its employees and workers for issuing identification cards to them. They should also provide copy of the ownership documents of the trucks belonging to the category of three tonnes and above.
The current lease contracts in Al Mawaleh Central Market will be extended until June 29, and the lessees are required to fulfil all associated obligations no later than two weeks from the date of issuing this circular.
Speaking to the Observer, an executive of Suhool al Fayha, one of the leading wholesalers, said that the transfer process has not started yet.
Earlier, while accepting the reality of having to shift from Al Mawaleh, some merchants at the market said,
"While they have been operating in harmony since 1997, time has come to move to the new location to meet the growing footfall of customers and changing requirements such as more cold storage and air-conditioned halls for retailers and customers from various parts of the country."
Hamed bin Said al Hajri, manager of Al Mawaleh Central Market, said, "The current market has been growing every year with more facilities and we have produce from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iran, Egypt, and not to forget the growing presence of Omani agricultural produce. The market has been growing, and shifting to Khazaen Economic City will help it expand with better facilities."
A few customers commented that moving the market 50 km away from the current location will be a bit difficult for some customers, but it won't be a problem for those residing in places like Bausher, Al Seeb, and Muscat Heights.
Abdul Vahid, managing director, Suhool al Fayha, one of the leading wholesalers at the market, said, "The market opened in 1987 but closed soon before reopening in 1997. It was operational full-fledged by 2000. Initially, 90 per cent of the products were imported via neighbouring countries, but today 90 per cent of our products are directly imported from different countries."
He added, "This market has nostalgic importance for all merchants. Muscat Municipality played a big role in developing this market but keeping in mind the traffic congestion in the area, the decision was taken to relocate the market to around 50 km from the current home."
According to sources, the new market will have facilities such as cold and dry stores, main wholesale halls, truck sales area, shaded areas for the sale of onions and potatoes, agricultural inspection areas, office spaces for operating companies, electrical charging stations, vegetables and fruits sorting yards, several gates for customs inspection for vegetables and fruits, laboratory for testing agricultural samples under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.
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