Veggie sales hit by Brunei entry ban
Kundasang vegetable farmers are seeing a 70 percent drop in the number of lorries coming to collect fresh produce due to the ban imposed by the Brunei government that restricts commercial land transporters for two weeks starting Jan 13.
KOTA KINABALU: Kundasang vegetable farmers are seeing a 70 percent drop in the number of lorries coming to collect fresh produce from the highland due to the ban imposed by the Bruneian government that restricts commercial land transporters from travelling from Sarawak to Sabah and vice versa across Brunei’s borders for two weeks starting Jan 13.
Simon Leong, the president of the Sabah Kundasang Agriculture Operators Association, said the vegetables are currently only picked up by commercial lorries operating in Sabah, resulting in a sharp drop in sales.
On Tuesday, Brunei’s home affairs minister Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Abu Bakar Hj Apong announced the government’s measure to tighten border controls amid the soaring number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia, which included a ban on commercial transporters from travelling from Sarawak to Sabah vice versa across Brunei’s borders for two weeks starting Jan 13.
Since the announcement, Leong said the number of lorries heading for Kundasang to collect vegetables has dropped drastically by 70 percent, particularly lorries from Sarawak and Brunei, which were nonexistent now.
“There was supposed to be three 10-tonne lorries and a trailer truck from Sarawak coming to collect vegetables here today, but none of them showed up, possibly due to the crossborder ban.
“The four lorries could have carried 40 tonnes worth of vegetables.”
There are at least 1,000 big and small-scale farmers in Kundasang, who produce around 100 tonnes of vegetables daily.
Leong has been growing vegetables for 30 years in Kundasang. His vegetable farms span more than 40 acres.
Under normal circumstances, he said the Kundasang farmers supplied about 80 tonnes of fresh produce everyday not only to vegetable wholesalers from all over Sabah, but also to Sarawakian and Bruneian clients who came to pick up the goods using 40-foot container lorries and 10-tonnes lorries up to 16 times weekly.
“Fifty percent of the vegetables produced in Kundasang are exported to Brunei, Sarawak and other places.
“The local market only made up 50 percent of our sales.”
He added that the local demand for vegetables has also decreased, as seen in the decline of sales volume.
He said Kundasang sells about 70 to 80 tonnes of vegetables daily.
“Without supplying to Sarawak and Brunei, coupled with the Movement Control Order (MCO), vegetable sales in Kundasang has dropped to about 20 tonnes daily now.”
On another note, Leong said the supply of vegetables, including cabbage, lettuce and tomatoes, had dropped by 50 percent due to the rainy season since November last year.
“The rainy season in Kundasang is expected to last until Chinese New Year.
“The heavy rainfall causes the roots of vegetables to rot, which resulted in the sharp drop in supply.”