Kadeem Golebourne
Vendors at the Musgrave Market, Port Antonio, Portland, are not satisfied with conditions at the parish’s main market.
The facility is managed by the Portland Municipal Corporation (PMC) which falls under the Local Government Ministry. The Musgrave Market is in the centre of the Portland capital.
For several years, the vendors have been promised infrastructural upgrades that would make it more pleasant for them to earn their livelihoods.
Even though these promises have come from successive governments over the years, significant improvements have not been forthcoming. Instead, the vendors have had to continue to deal with the discomfort and unsanitary state of the market.
One of the main issues raised by vendors is the awful state of the bathroom facilities. The condition of the bathroom is unsightly and unsanitary even though vendors have to pay a separate fee to use it.
Another issue raised by vendors is that the grounds of the market need to be properly paved. Portland is a parish that gets regular and often torrential rains and whenever it rains there are pools of water all over the market.
The vendors and regular patrons of the market have expressed their dissatisfaction about this condition over the years. They express the view that wherever food is sold or stored should be kept in a sanitary state.
Another challenge is the stench coming from the incinerator at the back of the market. There are times when the stench coming from the dump can be quite unbearable. This stench is considered a deterrent to customers who seek to purchase their goods at the market. The vendors say there should be proper management of that area to determine what goes in and out of it.
Another big issue is the covering of sections of the market. In many parts, vendors provide tarpaulin to cover the areas over their stalls or where they have to serve from. Again, the situation is made worse because Portland receives so much rain and so frequently.
Anytime it rains heavily, some vendors have to leave their stalls and evacuate the market, and seek cover at the nearby craft market.
The vendors want improvements to bring this market up to a condition fit for people to work in and made sanitary and safe for food to be stored in and sold.
-30-
Kadeem Golebourne
1. Vendors having to cope with conditions under tarpaulin that serves as an ineffective roofing material in Portland’s main market The puddles still form on the ground after rains.
2. Toilets are broken and contribute to the unhygienic condition in the market.
3. This represents the chaotic look as well as the poor conditions inside Musgrave market.
4. More poor conditions
