Gov’t advancing public market modernisation plans

The Government is driving the modernisation of public markets as part of a broader initiative to upgrade ageing infrastructure and stimulate local economic activity across the island.

Minister of Local Government and Community Desmond McKenzie emphasised the critical need to upgrade long-standing market facilities during the contract signing and ground-breaking ceremony for the Alexandria Market in St Ann on February 26.

He noted that 98 per cent of Jamaica’s markets were built more than a century ago, underscoring the urgent need for long-term redevelopment planning.

McKenzie explained that many of these facilities are part of infrastructure inherited from the colonial era.

He further noted that the Ministry has been approaching redevelopment with a long-term perspective to ensure that new and upgraded markets are both durable and sustainable.

The Minister emphasised that public markets remain vital to rural Jamaica, serving as key hubs for agriculture and small-scale commerce.

“In rural Jamaica, agriculture is the lifeline of many families,” McKenzie pointed out.

He further highlighted the vital role women play in sustaining market operations across the country.

“Eighty per cent of the persons who use our markets are female. We can’t continue to expose them to conditions that are not conducive,” McKenzie underscored.

The Minister also cited findings from a Social Development Commission (SDC) survey, which confirmed continued public support for market spaces, pointing out that “90 per cent of Jamaicans still see the importance of having markets”.

McKenzie affirmed that strengthening market infrastructure is a key pillar of community development and economic resilience, noting that ongoing upgrades are designed to better serve both vendors and customers.

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