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Agriculture Reporter
PROMINENT market analyst, Dr Charles Dhewa yesterday called on stakeholders rebuilding Mbare Musika following the recent fire that destroyed structures and merchandise to consult the affected people for their expectations on the new structure and incorporate them.
Dr Charles Dhewa urged participants in the re-construction project to appreciate the intricate social structures and indigenous commerce practices underpinning informal economies, which have been characterising the market for many years before it was destroyed by the fire.
“It is important to have serious dialogue with the users of the market so that they can also share their expectations for incorporation into the structure, which they will be using into the future. This can also be an opportunity for them to address structural issues, which they may not have been happy with from the old structure.
“Dialogue will also save resources given that what the re-construction team may consider important may not be a priority to the users. This makes it important for stakeholders to realise that all the people involved – farmers, traders, council and consumers will benefit immensely from a re-built and well-functioning market that meets the majority’s expectations,” added Dr Dhewa.
He further observed that the direction of the reconstruction work must be decided by market-users’ expectations so that they operate viably and generate revenue that will also allow them to meet obligations like taxes.
“The new market must be an improvement of that they used to experience in the structures that were destroyed by the fire. They should be able to do business more effectively than before so that they can make up for the lost time and take reasonably short periods of time to recover their profitability.
“We are looking at a situation in which both farmers and traders lost merchandise worth millions of dollars from which they may not be able to recover if they do not have a conducive environment to operate from,” Dr Dhewa said.
He commended the Government for its timely response to the plight of the market users culminating in the current re-construction works saying the farmers and traders will be soon be back in business, barring unforeseen circumstances.
“These people need to return to work very soon because that is where they are earning a living. Producers of fresh produce are currently struggling to find the right places to sell their produce and may by vulnerable to significant post-harvest losses,” Dr Dhewa commented.
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