Pristina seeks mobile shopping in every neighbourhood

Every Wednesday the mobile market is placed on the Dardania platform.

The market where local products are sold from the capital and surrounding municipalities currently operates only in three locations, not in any neighbourhood as promised at the outset, reports 038 on KTV.

This market is open to citizens during just three days of the week, in the “Zahir Pajaziti” squares, “Bill Clinton” and that “Adem Jashari”, located near the municipality.

Choosers offering local trees and vegetables are satisfied with the sales level.

But they demand that the market extend to other parts of the capital as well, since they estimate that citizens would thus have more access to local products.

With the products we have, we have enough sales, but I don't know what to say. Maybe it was better to expand, it's better because we're getting another bigger chance, to be four or five times a week, to be in every neighborhood every week, maybe even for consumers it would have been better, and because there's a lot of interest in buying”, it's said Mirsad Demoll, salesman.

And vendors from other municipalities think market presence in other parts of Pristina would benefit both sides.

I am very pleased, especially the square is very good. As a producer, I am satisfied with these three days, that someone also has to produce this because not only do I go to markets. It's good to expand somewhere else”, says Guzim Demach.

Consumers express satisfaction with the quality of products as they call for more consumption of local products.

Local products are better than those coming from abroad. First of all, they're more fresh, local, of our nature, and I consume more locals than outside them. I'm on the market every day”, consumer Hafiz Gashi says.

Less satisfied with sales are those who offer labor products, such as national clothing, socks, or various necklaces.

So somewhere, it's not that good of sale, that maybe even people don't, but it's not bad. When you look at it, you see more coffee than they buy here. It's autumn time I don't know”, Shukrije Osmani, a saleswoman from Fushe-Kosovo, said.

But it was the farmers who refused to sell at different locations. They prompted the municipality to cancel the market's deployment in Taslige and Ulpiana.

From the Directorate for Strategic Planning in the municipality, they say that in the neighbourhoods where the market is scheduled to function, there was no way to develop activity due to inadequate locations.

In Matt (the Independence School) neighborhood and the Sun Coast, with the trucks that are available in the market, which serve to transport the stalls is impossible, circulation and maneuvering. The same is on the Trima Code of primary school JHilmi Rakovica”, said Genc Basota, director of the Directorate for Strategic Planning, Pristina.

He added further that there has been three years of activity in the Tslidge district, but in consulting farmers we have decided that for a certain time to cancel market activity in this neighborhood, farmers have had no jobs.

There's been no waiting around here, so since September we haven't been present in this neighborhood. In the neighborhood of “Arberia” farmers are hesitant about the specific location, since even there the parcel's slope doesn't fit the stalls. This director says they have accepted requests that the market be present in other neighbourhoods outside Pristina, which, according to them, would in the future consider such an option”, Basota said.

The mobile market project was launched in 2015 and costing 479 thousand euros, this combined investment between the European Union Office, which has donated 80 per cent of Pristina's funds and municipality that has participated 20 per cent.

The EU office has not answered questions about market failure to function under the agreement.