WET MARKET AND FOOD STALLS TAKE-UP RATES

Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Acting Minister for the Environment if he will elaborate on the reasons why nearly 3,000 stalls at wet markets and food centres have not been taken up by any prospective operators and what is done to encourage the take-up rate.

RAdm Teo Chee Hean: The majority of the vacant stalls are market produce stalls. Many in this trade give up their stalls because the returns are marginal. This is not a popular trade and few want to take up this trade.

At present, there are about 2,800 vacant stalls. About 2,200 are market produce stalls and 600 are cooked-food stalls. These stalls have become vacant when the operators passed away, or left the trade on account of ill health, poor business or took up other jobs.

Of the 2,800 vacant stalls, 600 market produce stalls and 450 cooked-food stalls are reserved for resettlement cases. Another 600 market produce stalls are being reserved for operators of adjoining stalls, to expand their business. The balance 1,000 market produce stalls and 150 cooked-food stalls will be tendered out to the public progressively.