Localisation in Fruits and Vegetables Markets, Transportation business.

Hundreds of Malayalis may lose job, Mawela Vegetable market closed

Muscat - Large number of Malayalis who have been working in the transportation and marketing of vegetables are facing a bleak future as Oman's Ministry of Labour has closed the vegetable market temporarily and started serious labour checking in vehicles carrying fruits and vegetable. Even though the Ministry of Labour had issued strong warning to companies and traders to comply with Omanisation requirement, they were taking it lightly or could not find sufficient number of hardworking Omanis who will work at odd hours. 'Sixty per cent of the workers in the fruits and vegetable markets are Malayalis.

Bengalis and Pakistanis are also working in the market,' said a Malayali trader who is deeply concerned about the pile of vegetables, especially tomatoes that will perish within a day if vehicles transporting the same is not coming soon.

Oman's Batinah region is an agricultural belt with large number of farms employing Malayalis. 'Vegetable prices will go up if the market is closed due to labour checking. Today nobody is coming to the market. All the vehicles transporting fruits and vegetables are being checked inside the market by labour officers,' added another Malayali working in the Mawela Wholesale Vegetable market.

Vegetable transportation is the last in the series of sectors where expatriate workers are replaced with local Arab youth. Even though the business community is making complaints about the lack of local work force who can do the job, the Ministry of Labour is taking a tough stand this time. Oman has already announced plans to replace about 80,000 expatriates, mainly Malayalis working in grocery shops with local staff.