Al Shakrieh in Saida a venue for marketing rural women agricultural ‎commodities

Al Mustaqbal daily newspaper published a special feature on Al Shakrieh Street market ‎that is dividing Old Saida quarter from Saida central district, which during the summer ‎season becomes an active marketplace for agricultural commodities displayed by women ‎and girls that head to the market from the south, east and north of the city. Women ‎vendors in the market display a wide variety of fresh produce, ranging from fruits, ‎vegetables, legumes, herbs, almond foods and cereals. Um Mohammad who comes from ‎Iqlim Al Tufah to sell her summer agricultural varieties says “every season has its ‎bounties”. “What distinguishes my goods,” she adds, “is that they are fresh coming ‎straight from the field to the consumer, unlike the stored or frozen produces that you ‎see inother markets.” Similarly, another seller, who shares the street’s pavement with ‎Umm Mohammad, boasted that she often gets orders for special agricultural products, ‎like summer honey, zaatar and zoufa before the start of the season, pointing that she ‎counts on these kinds of orders more than on daily-basis peddling. “Most city dwellers ‎tend to buy from women vendors, because their merchandises are often freshly picked,” ‎she clarified. (Al Mustaqbal, 7 August 2015)‎