Dubai: Budget-conscious shoppers from Dubai and other emirates continue to visit Dubai’s giant Central Fruit and Vegetable Market, where produce is “fresh and cheap”.
Some reports claimed the market is overcrowded and dirty but Gulf News only found isolated cases of questionable conditions during a recent visit.
Shoppers were generally pleased with the conditions, adding that the market offers the freshest products at affordable prices.
The market is a hub for importers and exporters, meaning most retailers do their shopping at the market. Since it is the first destination of imports, the produce is fresh and cheap. Retailers who buy in bulk from the market then add their mark up, passing on the cost to the supermarket customer.
Keen on snapping up the fresher and more affordable produce, many residents shop at the market despite its location on the outskirts of the city — in Al Aweer area off Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road.
Indian customer Arush drives to the market about thrice a month. He has been shopping there for two years, even after he moved from Dubai to Sharjah.
“We [customers] can taste samples here to check for freshness and flavour. Imagine if you tried doing that in big supermarkets. Also, we can haggle for discounts,” he added.
“Prices are already low here because there is a lower mark-up on the cost. Most retailers get their supply from here first and mark up their products further in supermarkets. And since the food gets here first from wholesalers and exporters, it is most fresh.”
Under the rules, produce has to be sold from dedicated shaded areas or from shops, which must have refrigeration. Also, food has to be transported in covered and chiller-fitted vehicles.
Reacting to claims the market is generally filthy, Arush denied that was true.
“Of course there will some things on the ground. You cannot compare it to fancy supermarkets that have cleaners and only a few customers compared to this market. A little bit of mess here and there — when there are thousands of customers, hundreds of shops, and thousands of fruits around — is acceptable,” he said.
Suhail, a Bangladeshi fruit salesman at the market, said customers from Al Ain and Ajman can also be found here.
“We have loyal customers who have been shopping here for 10 years. If the situation was so bad, why would so many people come here? Why would there be so many shops and stalls in business here?” he added.
When the market opened in mid-2004, Dubai Municipality, which established the market, said it expected 10,000 customers a day.
There are about 250 wholesale outlets at the market and hundreds of retail stalls and shops. One of the three shaded areas for retailers alone houses some 400 stalls.
The market covers 61-square kilometres — about the size of eight football fields.
During a two-hour sweep of the market, Gulf News spotted a few instances of produce strewn across the floor in the unloading and loading bays. Also, many handlers were selling the unloaded goods from the unloading area, which is apparently not allowed.
By comparison, the dedicated retail shops, stalls and area were generally clean and orderly.
There were also a few cases of “roaming salesmen” touting cartons of fruits to motorists in the parking lot, or in the open sun, which is not allowed.
Dubai Municipality has previously said it has teams of inspectors working in shifts to cover the whole market from morning to night.
