By Carlena Knight
Farmers in the south-west of Antigua will be offering a variety of their fresh produce to the public during their inaugural Farmers Market this week.
The area from Christian Valley in Jennings to Claremont in Old Road boasts more than 200 farmers known to produce the famous Antigua Black Pineapple, a wide variety of mangoes and root crops.
This Wednesday, the public can snap up these items and many more at reduced prices.
Yesterday, the South-West District Officer, Oniecia Anthony, explained the reason for hosting the event.
“Farmers are producing more since the Covid pandemic and … they sometimes find it difficult to sell at the market with the competition that’s going on.
“So, in talking with the farmers, the idea came about that we will have our own South-West Farmers Market, showing that we too in the south are producing food and can produce as well as those persons who have 80 to 100 acres of land,” Anthony said on the Observer AM radio show on Monday.
Registration for the farmers is free and those who are interested are asked to call 720-9628 to do so.
Farmers are required to wear facemasks, and will be situated in a socially distanced manner while each station will have its own hand-washing facilities.
Anthony is encouraging the public to attend.
“We are encouraging the public to come and support them. We are having this event just in time for Easter. We have everything just in time to make the ducanas and the chop-up just for Easter,” she said.
“Persons will also be there selling seedlings and also some poultry farmers will be selling their eggs; [some] will also be there selling natural fertilisers, or what we call manure.”
The Farmers Market will be held at the entrance to Christian Valley on Wednesday from 6am to 3pm.