Agricultural sector can request stands at Mercat Pagès until 31 March

The Office of Agriculture, Stockbreeding, Hunting and Fishing of the Formentera Island Council hereby announces that until 31 March island residents can request permits to vend goods at the Mercat Pagès (farmers' market), located at the Antoni Tur “Gabrielet” Centre.

The space at the farmers' market can accommodate up to ten different stalls, which are made available on the caveat that they be used for the sale of farmed goods or meat/fish products originating in Formentera. The market is an important point of commerce for locally-produced goods. This year residents saw the 'gerret' fish return to public sale, a move that was fuelled by the desire to reintroduce a once-typical component of our traditional Mediterranean diet – and local heritage – to our lifestyle today. The change was possible thanks to the Confraria de Pescadors de Formentera, Formentera's brotherhood of fishermen, whose decision to reauthorise sale of the fish depends on availability.

The mercat pagès is open Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 1 pm, though vendors are not obliged to sell everyday. A seller who prefers can request a day-permit through the Office of Agriculture two days before he or she wishes to begin selling. In addition to increasing vendor numbers and in so doing making the “Gabrielet” Centre a more vibrant space, the day-permit was designed to make the vending process easier for local producers hoping to add their own contribution to the current stock of onions, potatoes and tomatoes for sale, thus revitalising this all-important sector.

The Office of Agriculture is the entity responsible for defining the requirements for the farmers' market vending permits. Vendors at the market may be individuals, legal persons or cooperatives. The code of market ordinances establishes for vendors a series of conditions, such as inclusion on the register of farmed territories and/or stockbreeding plots and possession of any necessary sanitary permits. A farmers' market vending permit granted by the Formentera Council is either valid for one year or as a temporary day-pass and includes discounts intended to increase participation in the programme.

Local modes of production, whose scale, taken quantitatively, is considerably smaller than that of other ventures, have the advantage of producing goods of a noticeably higher quality. These enterprises require an extra degree of support, but aid to such enterprises is an invaluable opportunity for local governments to invest in traditional food products. The establishment of the island's first food market, in addition to creating a point of exchange for local products, also creates a meeting space and source of commercial activity in Sant Francesc.

The “Producte fet a Formentera” brand (“Made in Formentera”)
The farmers' market will also serve as a point of sale for “Producte fet a Formentera” brand products. Whether 'gerret' fish, peix sec, or Formentera-made honey, the goal behind this new locally-regulated brand is to effect an increase in the consumption of food products – be they farmed, caught from the sea, or raised here locally – that have been elaborated with respect for traditional methods.

The Formentera Council will allow use of the brand to all artisans, legally-recognised artisanal businesses and vendors of farmed, fish and animal products that uphold the established standards. Permission to use the “Producte fet a Formentera” brand is valid for a period of two years.