MEETING IN PROGRESS: Lo (second right) addresses members of the Wholesalers and Distributors Association of Kuching and Samarahan during the inaugural annual general assembly at MPP headquarters. Lee is seated centre.
KUCHING: The sizeable population and rapid development experienced in the area make it appropriate for a wholesale market to be established here, said Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) chairman Lo Khere Chiang.
Lo, who is touched by the Wholesalers and Distributors Association of Kuching and Samarahan committee members’ commitment and efforts to set up a wholesale market, said the move could be viewed as part of the development in the city.
“It is okay to have a small market in a small town but with the growing population in Kuching, the wholesale market is very important to meet the high demand for produce such as vegetables, meat and fish,” he said at a press conference held at MPP headquarters in conjunction with the wholesalers association’s first annual general meeting that was attended by more than 100 of its members here yesterday.
Lo said he admired the example shown by the association’s committee members for their resilience and diligence in pursuing their vision of establishing their own wholesale market.
“They have been going to the authorities such as Land and Survey Department, MPP, state representatives and MP in getting this idea off the ground. I’m touched by their attitude because of the way they pursue this. On my part I will do what I can to help get this wholesale market off the ground,” he stated.
He said currently, the vegetable wholesalers had no proper place to trade as the Stutong Community Market car park is only a makeshift measure as it does not provide shelter.
“When it rains, the vegetables will perish and that is very wasteful,” Lo added.
Lo also said it was also important for the new wholesale market to be equipped with cold storage and ice making facilities for the wholesalers to store and keep their produce fresh.
In their efforts to ensure that the wholesale market here would be successful, the association members had, on March 12, visited the Selayang wholesale market accompanied by Lo.
During the visit, the committee members held a dialogue session with the Selayang wholesale market operators and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to study the wholesale market operations there.
“In Selayang, the wholesalers trade round the clock with 500 wholesale stalls. So you can imagine the necessity for the wholesale market. Vegetable wholesalers alone take up 216 stalls. I believe Kuching will also be like that one day,” Lo said.
He said the Selayang wholesale market is successful because they have all the equipment and facilities to store and keep their produce fresh throughout the day.
Lo pointed out that the wholesale market that had been proposed would not have any problems operating round the clock as the vegetable wholesalers here had been doing that at the roadside in Gambier Street.
He said, if approved, the proposed wholesale market would have 150 wholesale stalls that would initially be tenanted by vegetable wholesalers, followed by fishmongers and meat wholesalers.
Lo said the ministers, federal and state representatives such as Social Development Minister Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom, Deputy Minister of Tourism Datuk James Dawos Mamit, Assistant Environment Minister Datu Len Talif Salleh and Assistant Minister of Public Health Dr Jerip Susil were all very supportive of the idea of the wholesale market.
“Few months back when they had a function in Siburan, they came out with grants of RM42,000 for the association. They have been trying to look for a suitable land for them by liasing with Land and Survey Department.
“Including myself and from MPP, we are also helping them to liase with Land and Survey to source for a suitable land to set up the wholesale market,” he said.
Lo said although the state hadlots of land, it was very difficult to find a strategic location.
According to association’s chairman Lee Pui Siong, for Kuching and Samarahan division, the average turnover of vegetable supply per day is about 400 tonnes; about 200 tonnes of locally produced vegetables and another 200 tonnes of imported vegetables.
“It is a huge business and with 400 tonnes of vegetables per day, you need a place to distribute the vegetables efficiently,” said Lo.
On the land size, Lo said the association is applying for a piece big enough not only to accommodate the wholesale market but also its headquarters, factories to produce ice and vegetable enzyme recycled from the vegetables in the future.
When asked whether the association had a piece of land in mind, Lee said the association had identified some but he declined to reveal further on the locations of these lands.
He also gave the assurance that the establishment of the wholesale market would not affect the business of the local vegetable sellers.