Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, Essam bin Abdulla Khalaf, said that this year’s Bahraini Farmers’ Market celebrates healthy diets as a source of sustainability, hence the Market’s theme “Our Food… Our Health”.

The minister was speaking while inaugurating the ninth edition of the Bahraini Farmers’ Market, in the presence of the Undersecretary for Agriculture and Marine Resources at the Work Ministry, Ibrahim Al-Hawaj, Secretary-General of the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD), Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa, and a number of officials.

Held at the Budaiya Botanical Garden, the ninth edition of the Market attracts 37 farmers and four farming companies.

Khalaf renewed the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry’s commitment to providing all kinds of support to Bahraini farmers, in line with the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, noting that the Bahraini Farmers’ Market is an important platform for marketing the products of Bahraini farmers.

Agriculture and Marine Resources Undersecretary stressed the Works Ministry’s keenness to harness all potentials to ensure the success of the Market and support the affiliates of the agricultural sector, based on the directives of the Works Minister, praising the support of NIAD, and its partnership in ensuring the success of such a national event.

He indicated that this year’s Farmers’ Market is exceptional in light of the ongoing circumstances imposed by the novel coronavirus pandemic, noting that the event organisers are keen to implement the health requirements set by the National Medical Taskforce for Combating Coronavirus in order to preserve the safety of all.

NIAD Secretary-General, Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa, expressed delight at the resumption of the Bahraini Farmers’ Market so as to be a catalyst for Bahraini farmers to increase their products and compete with imported ones.

Shaikha Maram paid tribute to the Works Ministry for its unwavering keenness to support Bahraini farmers, by providing them with outlets to market their products.

The Bahraini Farmers Market returns in its ninth edition in the Budaiya Botanical Garden following a one-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will open from 07:00 to 13:00 every Saturday, until March 27, 2022.

The Farmers’ Market features several sections for farmers, nurseries and agricultural companies, in addition to a section for productive families, a corner for dates and another for honey.

The special exhibition for Bahrain’s agricultural heritage, showcasing agricultural machines that were used in the past for cultivation, plowing, planting and harvesting, was inaugurated for the first time in the Market, in line with the organisers’ keenness to commemorate Bahrain’s deep-rooted agricultural reputation.

A photo gallery related to agriculture was also inaugurated, in appreciation of those who contributed to making Bahrain a green paradise and the country of one million palm trees throughout history.