Umm Salal fish market to open on April 1, CMC calls for unified prices

Starting on April 1, people will have to go all the way to Umm Salal to purchase fresh fish directly from wholesale vendors.

The fish market at Doha-Central Market, next to Salwa Road, will completely be shifted to the new facility, reported The Peninsula.

Vendors are doing final preparations for the imminent shift.

“Earlier, we were given until March 15 to shift and now they’ve made it April 1. All vendors are set to shift out. The shift will cause a fall in number of customers as the location isn’t very convenient for them,” a vendor at the fish market told The Peninsula.

Meanwhile, fish prices at Central Market have slightly increased due to heavy rain, which has made fishing quite harder.

For restaurant and small-time eatery owners, the Central Fish Market had been a bon because of the availability of all three items — vegetables, fruits and meat — in very close proximity.

In a related development, Central Municipal Council (CMC) has called for unified pricing of fish in markets across the country and recommended the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) to impose greater control over fish pricing, according to Qatar Tribune.

At its meeting on Tuesday, the CMC demanded that the MEC should announce the price of fish for 1kg every day. It also recommended the MEC to prevent auctioneers from determining the price of fish at the Central Fish Market.

CMC member Abdallah Al Sulaity said the disparity in fish price was very high from market to market. He said shop owners fix prices on their own without any control, which lead to higher prices affecting consumers.