CORDELE — The Georgia Department of Agriculture has no plans to close the state-funded farmers market in southwest Georgia, according to an agency official.
Local leaders had worried the Cordele State Farmers Market could fall victim to budget cuts even before the coronavirus pandemic weakened the economy.
But the budget cuts were less severe than expected and business leaders in the Cordele area have been working on finding ways to boost revenues at the market, such as finding year-round vendors, Paul Thompson, the agriculture department’s marketing director, told WALB TV.
“We’re not at a place where closing the market makes sense,” Thompson said.
The Cordele State Farmers Market is funded entirely by the state at a cost of about $260,000 a year. Thompson said the market operated at a $120,000 loss in the 2020 fiscal year.
About the Author
