Onion and potato vendors have shown interest in doing business at the recently developed Danyingon wholesale market and some have even moved there, according to the merchants’ circle.
Although the market is not as busy as the Bayintnaung wholesale, the Danyingon offers smooth, traffic-free access roads. U Myo, a truck owner at the Danyingon market, told the Global New Light of Myanmar that the surrounding area was convenient for truck drivers to stay the night.
The Danyingon has a grocery market that looks like the Thiri Mingalar market as well as a brokers’ sale centre akin to the Bayintnaung wholesale. But its land area is much smaller than the Bayintnaung's.
Historically, congestion issues caused the relocation of dried goods and marine produce sale centres from Latha and Lanmadaw townships to Bayintnaung in the late 1990s. Yet, by 2010, traffic congestion-related delays emerged again. Traders attribute this to outdated loading docks designed for older six-wheelers, inadequate for today's prevalent container trucks.
The grant tenure of the Bayintnaung plot was extended for three years. It expired a few years ago, and there's uncertainty surrounding whether it will be extended once more. So, some vendors have migrated to the Danyingon market which was built after the Bayintnaung’s model.
A sale centre project for delta-region rice was conceived a decade ago at the location next to the Dagon Ayeya terminal. Despite land sales and the building of some structures, roads and lamp-posts, the space is not yet operational, says rice trader U Maung Aye.
The Danyingon market's recent surge in activity, partly attributed to its smooth traffic flow, is promising. However, concerns loom over potential congestion. Truck owners say that moving wholesale markets to the outskirts of Yangon will not solve the problem. They emphasize the need for a dedicated terminal at Yangon to alleviate traffic bottlenecks, or congestion will follow wherever the wholesale markets go. — TWA/NT
