Fishmongers at Maputo’s Mercado do Peixe complain of poor refrigeration and unfair competition

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Fishmongers at Maputo’s Mercado do Peixe complain of poor refrigeration and unfair competition

4:49 CAT | 30 Mar 2016

In File Club of Mozambique

Vendors at the new fish market in Maputo say the performance of the fish and seafood cold storage facilities is inadequate, and are also concerned about unfair competition.

Vendors say that, because of the high temperatures experienced during business hours, the cold room should ideally be able to freeze products, and that, because of the fridge’s underperformance, they have to buy ice to prevent products spoiling.

Regarding unfair competition, sellers complain that an informal evening market in front of the old facilities in the Clube Marítimo area attracts the same customers who buy in the formal market and those regular customers who were used to shop at later hours in the evening when the old market was open.

According to vendors interviewed by Folha de Maputo, their competitors use rigged scales to cheat customers, who are nevertheless satisfied with the lower prices.

Vendors say the should prohibit the parallel sale of fish, or the December transfer to the new facilities will not make any sense.

The new fish market, which was opened last December by state president Filipe Nyusi, is estimated to have cost over US$11 million financed by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and has retail 100 stalls, a 300-seater restaurant and parking for 125 cars.

Source: Folha de Maputo