|
Every weekday and Saturdays, traffic gets much heavier on Heidelberg Road in the City Deep area of Johannesburg early before 5 am. This is because most vehicles are taking the turnoff marked "Joburg Market" – the one stop destination for retailers, shopkeepers, street traders, restaurateurs, housewives and exporters alike. They all come to the Market to access the widest variety of fruit and vegetables ever imaginable.
The Market can be described as the eminent stock exchange for fresh produce in the continent. From its humble beginnings, it has grown consistently to become the largest fresh produce market in South Africa and indeed all of Africa and the world by volume.
By way of comparison, the Joburg Market is twice the size of the second ranked market in the country and bigger than 17 other local markets combined.
The Market serves about 5 000 farmers from across South Africa who send their fresh produce to be traded to a large buyer base, averaging about 10 000 daily.
Trade takes place via a commission system with the Market charging the producer a mere 5% commission on all sales made on the commission floor. A further negotiable levy of 7,5% is paid to Market Agents for selling produce on behalf of the farmer.
Trade takes place in three (3) Foodhubs, namely: Fruit Hub, Potato & Onion Hub and Vegetable Hub measuring a total of 65 000m2.
Ever looking into the future, the Joburg Market has adopted a redevelopment plan dubbed “Market of the Future” aimed to create an enabling environment for the selling of quality produce sustainably.
This remarkable market is easily accessible from the main freeways and is located just 5km south of Johannesburg´s central business district.
As value-adding services, the Market has 55 cold rooms which can accommodate 4 561 pallets of fresh produce, and 50 banana ripening rooms which can handle 1 590 pallets of bananas at any one time.
|
