Dubai’s Farmers Friday Market you should not miss

You should come to visit and trust us: You won’t be disappointed!

It is happening every Friday morning, at Souq Al Bahar, opposite the base of Burj Khalifa. You can recognize it easily as a small patch of bustle, rare for that time of the weekend. Tens of shoppers buzz and hustle around few stalls of fruit and vegetables at the weekly Farmers Market organized by Baker & Spice. This is a nearby restaurant that offers exceptionally yummy dishes for a price that some find high and others reasonable.

The market operates during the local growing season, from November through April. Few local organic farms, fruit and vegetable suppliers set up stalls displaying their range of seasonal produce. These include tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, broccoli, lettuce and herbs. The products are really cheap,  much cheaper than in the supermarkets across Dubai. Prices range from 5 to 15 Dirhams. The taste of fruits and vegetables is better too.

Souk al Bahar is a shopping centre that looks old, but is actually very new. It takes many features from traditional Arabic architecture wind towers, wooden screens, fortresses to recreate an old-fashioned souk experience. It is located in the heart of Downtown Dubai. The contrasts couldn’t be more extreme. Baker & Spice, a restaurant which sources its ingredients locally, organizes the Farmer’s Market every Friday, from 9am to 4pm.

The market is on the water’s edge on the terrace outside Baker & Spice and Dean & Deluca. The stalls offer mainly fruit and vegetables plus there is a stand selling honey and spices. The produce looks fresh and vibrant.

The Friday Market  does have a great atmosphere and people were bustling in and out. Most of the stands were more like market stalls. The produce is all local.

Most of the farms in the U.A.E. are in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the country’s total area and has a history of planting trees and cultivation. Many Emirati farmers were encouraged by the late Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan to grow fruits and vegetables, who introduced loans and other aid to farmers since 1972.

Until about a year ago, the price of U.A.E.-grown vegetable was higher than imported produce from Jordan, Iran or India. It was simply because they waren’t producing enough to meet local demand. Now, out of our daily sales of 850 tons of fresh fruits and vegetables, farmers are able to procure 200 tons fruits and vegetables from about 80 local farms.

The interaction between growers and consumers makes the Farmers Market so priceless and exposure to everyday produce outside of malls is a natural experience.