BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
The Honiara City Council (HCC) has denied claims that it plans to dissolve the Honiara Central Market Vendors Association, despite reports that a letter proposing action against the association had been circulated within the council.
Information obtained by Island Sun yesterday indicated that a letter had been submitted to the Market Master outlining plans to deal with the association and dissolve the vendors’ body.
The Market Master, however, said she cannot make comments when this paper contacted her yesterday, as the matter rests upon the HCC Clerk to make comments on the request.
However, when contacted, the HCC City Clerk yesterday, dismissed the claims, saying the council had not issued such a directive.
HCC maintains that no such decision has been made and that the claimed letter is not genuine.
The denial comes following an inquiry by this paper into the complaints raised by the Guadalcanal Province Council of Women (GPCW) over safety and security issues for their women farmers.
GPCW in a letter dated July 2 2026, advised that women farmers from Guadalcanal would temporarily stop selling their produce at the Honiara Central Market.
The council’s decision follows an incident in which a woman farmer reportedly fell from a vehicle after arriving at the market while re-sellers rushed to purchase cabbages directly from the victim.
The Guadalcanal Provincial Council of Women said the incident reflected wider concerns over the activities of resellers, claiming they often intercept farmers upon arrival, limiting the opportunity for growers to sell directly to consumers and creating an unsafe trading environment for local farmers.
The council calls on HCC to strengthen market management, improve security and address the issue of resellers before Guadalcanal women would return to the market.
Island Sun has also been informed that a meeting involving HCC, representatives of the Guadalcanal women farmers and the Honiara Central Market Vendors Association to discuss the concerns and identify solutions to allow the women farmers to resume selling at the market did not convene.
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