Talat Thetsaban 3, known as "Talat Yai", and located in Muang Ubon Ratchathani municipality, is more than a traditional wet market for dwellers of Ubon Ratchathani province.
Called talat sod in local language, a wet market is a quintessential part of Thai life. By contrast with today's well-built modern supermarket, the Thai-style wet market is rudimentary, comprising raised vendor stalls, a roof, basic drainage and few washing basin facilities.
Even though modern trade offers people cleaner and more modern facilities, local people, at least in Ubon Ratchathani province, still flock to shop at local wet markets like Talat Yai.
"For residents of Ubon Ratchathani, a fresh market like Talat Yai and other local community wet markets are more than just places where people go to shop. Going to the market is a form of social interaction in the community," said Nara Huttasin, lecturer at the Faculty of Management Science at Ubon Ratchathani University, and head of a research project that studies business and management models to help traditional Thai-style wet markets move into the future.
The project has chosen Talat Yai, operated by the local municipality and Talat Don Klang, a private-owned medium-size wet market, for its study.
Both talat sod sites are located in Muang Ubon Ratchathani district. The team hopes the outcome of the story will provide a model of good practice for state and private wet markets in the province.
OLD STOMPING GROUND
Located by the Mun River, the provincial central railway station and major roads, Talat Yai has been more than just a market. For local people, it is an old stomping ground.
"During the research, we learned that even local people who moved elsewhere come back to revisit this market every time they return to the province," said Ms Nara.
"Talat Yai," is the oldest market in the province, with records dating back since the reign of King Rama V.
times of yore: Images of Talat Yai from 50 years ago.
Its central location brings in people and creates economic and social activities. Vendors and buyers come to trade, and people come to shop and meet others. Fifty years ago, around the market, three movie theatres were built and when the US Army opened a military base four decades ago, the area around the old wet market became a military enclave.
The market has undergone major changes after two major fires in 1960 and 1970, not to mention renovations.
Ms Nara said the research project is the latest makeover for Talat Yai. Yet this time it involves more than just physical reconstruction.
WET MARKET MAKEOVER
Early this year, the research team started collecting data, holding workshops and holding talks with market operators, vendors and consumers.
The research is funded by Thailand Science Research Innovation (TSRI). The agency has provided grants to 21 universities across the nation, asking these researchers to find innovations that can help develop the well-being of the local community.
This research team said Ms Nara decided to work on an innovation concerning clean food.
"A market is the first spot that we should develop if we want to create food safety and well-being in the community. A market is not just a place where people come to buy and sell foods. It is a focal point in the production chain. It forges connectivity between producers and consumers," she said.
The study started in February this year and will take three years to complete.
Ms Nara said the project will provide answers about a new role and new look for wet markets in modern times.
Nara Huttasin, lecturer
"Wet markets can be like the retail giant Macro, only with walls and air-con removed," said Ms Nara.
She said wet markets need to adjust to avoid disruption.
"Despite fresh markets being a way of life for Thais and still popular with locals, we find that the young generation is starting to shift to modern shops. It is not that the young generation is turning their backs on traditional fresh markets. They want to buy food from a clean market, markets that are not wet and dirty," Ms Nara said.
WET MARKET OF THE FUTURE
The research comes in three phases.
The first phase started in February and will end early next year, and will explore good practices and offer models on making wet markets both cleaner and more convenient, and maintain reasonable prices.
The second phase, expected to start some time next year, will focus on how to turn fresh markets into gastronomy tourism spots and the third will find innovations for market services such as developing environmentally-friendly food packaging from local farm products such as tapioca, or using micro-organisms to treat wastewater.
In terms of the food business, the team is trying to find a way to make local wet markets places for farmers to sell organic products.
"Currently, little organic food and vegetables are sold at wet markets because the market itself is not a place where vendors and organic farmers can sell premium products. So, we need to find a way to make a wet market a place that can promote healthy organic products where both sellers and buyers are happy."
Talat Thetsaban 3 known as "Talat Yai" locating in Muang Ubon Ratchathani Municipality, of Ubon Ratchathani district will get a new facelift to improve service, landscape for making it place for food safety and organic products.
The first phase focuses on getting market operators, sellers and consumers on board to work together. "We learned that vendors want to take part in developing the market. They want to help cleaning the market. Market owners also want to make the market clean and modern, they just do not know how to do it correctly," she said.
The team has brought in experts from eight fields -- food processing, market management, marketing, economics, services, architectural design, product display and service and public hygiene.
Operators and vendors are trained to store fresh meats and vegetables properly. Fresh market executives receive advice on how to design and build fresh markets that are hygienic and environmentally friendly and how to conduct regular food safety sampling. The project also trains vendors in waste management. One activity teaches them to sort organic waste to provide to farmers for making organic fertiliser. The project also brings organic farmers, vendors, consumers and food experts together to discuss developments in organic food.
FUTURE GENERATION
Rattanan Pataratanased, the owner of Talat Don Klang, said the project helps owners of traditional wet markets move into the future. "After joining the project, I learned how to develop the standards and services of our market," said Mr Rattanan.
Joining the research, private owner of Talat Dong Klang invests about 10 million baht to improve landscape and upgrade hygiene infrastructures such as building new washing basin facilities and wastewater treatment plant.
Talat Don Klang is a family business and he is a member of the second generation of the market's management. Mr Rattanan, 43, had to convince his parents and the older generation to invest in the fresh market. So far, the family has spent about 10 million baht making upgrades to the physical space, such as building more washbasins and adjusting roofs and lights to make the market airy and bright.
He said wet markets need to adjust to stay competitive. "Of course, we still have vendors and consumers. But we need to stay ahead of the game and get better because the competition in the market sector is high too," he said. "When people think of good, clean food, they often think about modern shops or superstores. But this project reminds us that any fresh market can sell clean and quality food."
Nutjarin Putthaongraksa, a food vendor in Talat Yai, said vendors are enthusiastic ready to cooperate. She thanked the university for using its knowledge to help the fresh market move into future. She said she wished the university would also help the local administration.
Nimit Sitthitrai, president of the Ubon Ratchathai Provincial Chamber of Commerce said development models and good practices arising from this project will become a prototype for other fresh markets in the province.
Image of Talat Don Klang before getting a face lift. Its former condition reflects typical image of Thai style wet market in Thailand with rudimentary structures.
One of key elements to help Thai style wet market develop is to improve food safety. Health officials help testing food safety to make sure ingredients and food are up to required health standards.
The researchers train vendors to sort wet garbage to make organic fertilisers.
Rattanan Pattaratanased, owner of Talat Don Klang Market, believes Thai style wet market can become more competitive and can reckon with modern trade.
Talat Yai has been existing over century as open market where vendors just bring food to sell. Yet, the first building structure was built in over six decades ago.