Sherab Lhamo

The newly reconstructed upper section of the Centenary Farmers’ Market (CFM) in Thimphu opened to the public yesterday, with Prime Minister Lotay Tshering attending the opening ceremony.

The renovation work was divided into two phases—the first phase, which was the north side, was completed on December 17, 2022, and the latter phase, which was the central and south side, was completed on August 31.

The total budget allocated for the first-floor project was Nu 69 million.

The newly reconstructed stalls at the CFM featured intricate designs and seating benches near the food stalls and balcony.

The vendors displayed their vegetables, fruits and other items in large wooden boxes, preen and polished, perfectly aligned.

The rooftop solar plant has also been installed at the CFM with a capacity of 250 kilowatts installed on June 4, 2023, coinciding with the Birth Anniversary of Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen.

The plant is expected to generate over 360,000 units of electricity annually, which is directly fed to the Bhutan Power Corporation’s grid.

This week,  the de-suup team will relocate the vendors on the ground floor to the Kaja Throm.

For the next phase, the ground floor and site development will start on October 2. The procurement work has already begun.

The renovated section of the CFM has 192 stalls.

The new part of the renovated CFM will also have 12 food stalls run by de-suup, under the DeSuung Skilling Programme.

The rent for the upper section stalls increased by Nu 1,000, compared to that of Kaja Throm which was Nu 3,500 because the area is more spacious and comfortable.