KANGAR: Despite his medical condition, a daun palas seller here is striving to ensure there is sufficient supply of the leaves for Hari Raya Aidilfitri which is just few days away.
Every morning, Mat Hamid, 58, accompanied by his wife Shakira Abdullah, 52, can be seen at the exit of Pasar Besar Sena here waiting for customers who need daun palas to make ketupat daun palas, one of the famous Raya delicacies in the state.
It is a type of rice dumpling, where glutinous rice is wrapped in a triangular shape using the leaves.
“Every time during Hari Raya, either Aidilfitri or Aidiladha, I will try my best to ensure that the supply of daun palas is sufficient for not wanting to disappoint my customers.
“It has always been a pleasant feeling to be able to put a smile on customers’ face and help them to make Raya preparations,” he told Bernama recently.
The father of two who has been selling daun palas for the past five years said before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, he obtained daun palas supplies from Thailand through suppliers who brought in the leaves at the border gate in the Padang Besar town.
“Since the Malaysia-Thailand border gate was closed to the public, I had to get supplies from the locals, but the number is quite limited,” said Mat who suffers from hypertension.
Another seller Jamaliah Mat Kasa, 46, said in order to meet the high demand for daun palas during the festive season, she had to obtain supplies of 10,000 leaves from Pahang as the country’s border gates were closed due to COVID-19.
“During the festive season, I can sell an average of 5,000 daun palas a day at a price of RM5 per bundle that contains five shoots,” said the mother of four.-Bernama
