Maize in high demand as alternative to rice
MIRI: Demand for maize (corn) locally known as Jagong has been increasing here since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced as people want a change in their daily diet.
Roadside stalls along LutongKuala Baram road now are seeing their stock of maize quickly sold out like hot cakes while sales of water melons, honey dews and pumpkins are slow.
A fruit seller, Mohd Zaini Baharuddin, 22, who sells water melons, pumpkins, vegetables and maize at his stall which he gets from his father’s farm, said customers from as far as Miri would come to his stall to buy maize as an alternative to rice for their daily lunch or afternoon tea.
“It’s a good business for me to make extra income during the MCO as operating hours are limited to the morning and I usually close my stall before noon,” Mohd Zaini said yesterday.
He added that some of his customers bought up to RM30 worth of maize (21 pieces), while some would leave empty-handed because he had sold all of his stock of maize, which he sells at RM10 for seven pieces.
“I hope the coronavirus pandemic will end soon so that everybody can go back to normal life,” he said.
Meanwhile, a resident, Rosnani Tangah, said his children had got fed up of eating rice, vegetables and fish during the MCO.
“So I had to change the menu for my family. I buy maize which I boil sometimes for lunch or tea time along with ‘cucur pisang’ (banana fritters).
“Maize is an option for rice and it can be cooked or barbecued and added with various flavours to make it tastier and my kids love it,” she added.
Jamie Awang, in his 20s who operates a barbeque business, said he obtains his stock of maize from Mohd Zain and a few other fruit vendors in Miri.
He said the supply of maize is limited now as the demand is very high from the local community,
“I hope the supply of maize will not run out as my customers are always asking me to supply barbecued maize,” he said, adding he sells the barbecued maize favoured with cheese, butter and margarine at RM5 per piece.