Farmers’ Markets to expand nationwide – Agri Minister

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Wednesday visited the Farmers’ Market at the Sophia Exhibition Centre, where he interacted with farmers, vendors, and shoppers as activities continued for Agriculture Month 2026.
The Farmers’ Market, an initiative of President Dr Irfaan Ali, was established to create a direct link between farmers and consumers by providing producers with market opportunities while allowing consumers to purchase locally produced food at farm-gate prices.
Since its introduction, it has provided farmers and agro-processors with an additional avenue to market their produce and products directly to consumers.
The direct-to-consumer model reduces the involvement of intermediaries, allowing farmers to secure better returns while consumers benefit from competitive prices.
During Wednesday’s market, Mustapha engaged vendors and shoppers and received feedback on the initiative. He also viewed a range of commodities on sale, including fresh fruits and vegetables, ground provisions, meats, agro-processed products, and other locally produced items.
Farmers’ markets are being held at several locations across the country as part of Agriculture Month 2026, providing more producers with opportunities to market their goods directly to consumers.
The Government is also planning to make the initiative a regular feature, with farmers’ markets expected to be held monthly across several regions.
The planned expansion is intended to provide producers with more consistent market opportunities while increasing consumers’ access to fresh, locally produced food at affordable prices.