Tieu’s farm at Sungai Bidut.
SIBU: It is reported that members of Sibu Vegetable Planters Association (SVPA) suffer between 40 per cent and 50 per cent drop in their business since the movement control order (MCO) came into effect on March 18.
SVPA chairman Tieu Kiu Sing says this is due to the closure of schools here where its members used to supply daily, and also the limited supply to Sibu Central Market where only a certain number of sellers are operating on rotational basis.
“We also receive no demand from the food stalls and restaurants, which are now closed. As the lives of many have been badly affected by the MCO due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ours are of no exception.
“However, we do understand that there is no choice as the government is taking the right and timely move, for the safety of everybody,” he told The Borneo Post when contacted yesterday.
Tieu, 35, who has been a vegetable farmer for the past 11 years, has five acres of land at Sungai Bidut, where he plants various vegetables like cabbages, potatoes, lettuce, turnips, beans and ‘kangkong’ (water spinach).
He said prior to the MCO, some SVPA members chose to regularly contribute to charitable bodies like the Children’s Methodist Home and the Benevolent Society, by giving away excess vegetables.
“We would also stock some fresh vegetables at the agriculture office for its discretion to give away to the needy folk, as we cannot keep the leftover vegetables till the following day.”
However, he said should the MCO period be extended further, they would be in for bad time.
“I earnestly yearn for the Covid-19 pandemic to be over soon, and the lifting of MCO done according to schedule. I also hope that the government would consider looking into our plight. In this aspect, I wish to seek the help from the government to subsidise our fertilizers and insecticides,” he added.
SVPA currently has about 300 members.