Waste not - Cameron Highlands farmers donate greens in Ipoh

 A group of farmers in Cameron Highlands gave away their produce for the needy community after facing problems getting their yield to the markets.

One such give away was organised by a group of people in Ipoh, Perak this morning and was advertised on Facebook.

The organisers' spokesperson Jason Kong said he and two friends reached out to the farmers in Cameron Highlands after learning about produce being dumped.

He said these farmers used their own vehicles to convey the vegetables to them. This involves a two-hour drive.

"They have a heart of a Buddha. We cannot leave Ipoh, we have to depend on the farmers to transport the goods here," he said when contacted.

Kong, a 38-year-old fengshui consultant, said there are many people who are currently suffering from a loss of income due to the movement control order (MCO) and benefited from the free food.

He said he also witnessed how the elderly are finding it hard to buy food in supermarkets as the vegetable shelves are quickly emptied by more able-bodied shoppers earlier in the day.

Another problem faced by the public was the long lines at regular vegetable markets as the MCO had limited the number of people entering the markets.

"In Ipoh, a lot of people are suffering because by abiding to the MCO is causing a loss of income," he said.

Kong said about 100 people came for the vegetable give away and the produce was cleaned out in just five minutes.

"We didn't expect it to be so fast. Everyone was orderly and observed a distance from each other.

"We sorted the vegetables and packed it up separately so no one would linger about. They would just pick up and leave," he said.

Meanwhile, Cameron Highlands MP Ramli Mohd Nor today said Wong Seng Yee had donated a large amount of vegetables to the people of Sungai Koyan.

Incidentally, Sungai Koyan is the constituency of Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail and Wong was a candidate during the Cameron Highlands by-election last year.

"Wan Rosdy and I thank (Wong) for his help and hope more people - regardless of political, ethnic or religious differences - will help each other in the fight against the (coronavirus) outbreak," said Ramli.

Vegetable farmers across the country are facing problems getting their produce to farmers due to supply chain disruptions.

Some jurisdictions are limiting the number of foreign workers at wholesale markets, making it difficult for sellers to unload produce.

There are also complaints about difficulty in obtaining packaging for vegetables as well as inconsistent enforcement of rules concerning trucks carrying vegetables. - Mkini