Overcrowding at Seychelles' main market pushes officials to set up a temporary one on the capital's outskirts
The main market in Victoria is getting overcrowded and some people are selling their items on the street. (Gerard Larose, Seychelles Tourism Board)
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In a bid to reduce congestion in the main market of Victoria, a temporary market will be constructed on the outskirts of Seychelles’s capital, said a top official of the Agriculture Agency.
The temporary market will be located at Bois De Rose while the agency seeks a location to build a permanent one.
“This is because the main market in Victoria is getting overcrowded and some people have even gone to the street to sell their items. It is therefore clear that the availability of space is an issue,” said Linetta Estico, the deputy chief executive of the Seychelles Agricultural Agency.
The deputy chief executive said that a plan of the additional market will be submitted to the Seychelles Planning Authority this week and construction will begin as soon as the approval is given.
Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, has one main market in the capital -- Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market -- built in 1840 and renovated in 1999. The market, which is the bustling heart of Victoria, has a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and fish among items. The place is an attraction for visitors as it gives a feel for the Seychellois way of life.
Estico said that the temporary market will accommodate up to 28 vendors, preferably farmers selling fruits or vegetables at the Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market. It will also take up local craftsman under the management of the Small Enterprise Promotion Agency (SEnPA).
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| The temporary market will accommodate 28 vendors preferably farmers selling fruits or vegetables. (Gerard Larose, Seychelles Tourism Board) Photo License: CC-BY |
A vendor, Marcel Suzette, who is currently selling at the market in Victoria, said that the idea of having an additional one is a good initiative for both vendors and shoppers.
“It will provide another convenient option for shoppers as the Victoria market is getting packed,” he added.
Suzette hopes that the temporary market and those that will be built in the future will have more entertainment that will attract visitors and local shoppers alike.
