Cebu Weekend Markets: Where to Get Fresh and Organic Produce

Farmers’ Market – South Road Veggies at the South Road Properties (SRP) is meant to provide a venue for farmers to sell their produce directly to consumers. This is a project of Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña, who wanted to help farmers earn more profit by eliminating the middleman.

You can buy just about any fruit or vegetable at the Famers’ Market – South Road Veggies, and prices are around PhP10 lower than supermarket or grocery prices. In fact, there are instances where the prices of some produce are lower than the local public market. Just like going to a typical public market, the best time to visit is in the morning, especially on Saturdays.

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Getting to the Farmer’s Market – South Road Veggies is easy if you have your own vehicle. Just go to the South Road Properties, and then turn right towards Mambaling Road once you reach SM Seaside City. The Farmers’ Market at SRP is located around a kilometer or two away from the mall along the left side of the road. If you are taking public transportation, you can take the My Bus service from SM City Cebu to SM Seaside City before taking a motorcycle for hire to the market. You can also exercise your leg muscles and take a long walk to the market if you prefer to go on foot.

The Farmers’ Market at SRP offer a suitable parking space with only PhP5 parking fee. But you should take note that the parking area does become muddy during rainy days. Shopping carts are available for customers to use. Even though the market is relatively safe, it pays to be always mindful of your belongings while shopping. One impressive thing about the Farmers’ Market at SRP is that their attendants at the customer service counter are eager to provide assistance to first-time visitors. While the project primarily aims to help farmers, the management ensures that customers have a pleasant experience while shopping and have a reason to come back.

The Cebu Farmers Market at Handuraw Pizza is not your typical farmers’ market. In fact, the products sold here may be more expensive compared to the ones sold in the supermarkets. Despite that, most of the people who come to shop are return customers. You must be wondering why. Well, the customers come back for Cebu Farmers Market’s organic vegetables and meat products.

According to Organic.org, organic produce are grown without any chemicals—that means, no pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Organically produced meat comes from animals that are not given any antibiotics or growth hormones. Because of this, they are more costly to raise. Prices are around PhP10 to PhP20 higher than public market prices. Despite this added cost, the Cebu Farmers Market has a lot of return customers.

Read: Where Locals Shop: Top “Makamasa” Markets in Cebu

Due to the popularity of the Cebu Farmers Market, most of the products get sold out by noon, which means you have to get there early in the morning. The market is open from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM every Saturday. The place is quite safe for shoppers and is very clean. Just bring a bag big enough to store your loot.

Parking is not a problem since the restaurant where the weekend market is located, Handuraw Pizza, offers adequate parking for those bringing a car. The place is also accessible via public transportation because it is located along Gorordo Avenue. You can take jeepneys going to Lahug; just ask the driver to let you off near Harolds Hotel, which is a stone’s throw away from the place.

Sugbo Mercado is the type of weekend market typically seen in Manila. It has more or less 50 tenants offering a variety of food items aimed at satisfying the discriminating palate of Cebuanos. The market initially opened only on Fridays and Saturdays, from 4:00 PM to 1:00 AM. But with the huge influx of customers, the organizers eventually added Thursdays to its schedule.

At Sugbo Mercado, you can find just about any cuisine you can think of, from Filipino to Japanese to Italian. Aside from the food stalls, Sugbo Mercado also has a number of lifestyle product providers. Prices of food and lifestyle products at Sugbo Mercado start at PhP100.

Sugbo Mercado is ideally located at the Garden Bloc of Cebu IT Park. Ample parking space is available for visitors who may want to bring their cars. The place is accessible to public transportation, too. You can take jeepneys marked 17B, 17C, and 17D. Just tell the driver to drop you off at the Teleperformance building. Since there are numerous food stalls at Sugbo Mercado, try not to limit yourself to the stalls closest to the entrance of the place. Go around and check many stalls before deciding where to grab some food.

* All photos are from the writer.