IPOH: Local rice has become the main attraction at the MADANI Agro Sale held in conjunction with 2023 Farmers, Breeders and Fishermen Day (HPPNK) celebrations at Sultan Azlan Shah Roundabout, Meru Raya here.
The three-day programme began yesterday, offering up various basic necessities, including rice, eggs, onions, cooking oil, sugar, flour and other raw ingredients to visitors, who came early this morning even though traffic was heavy around the area.
Local rice was the most sought-after item, and many were seen buying 10-kilogramme (kg) packs at prices of RM26, while sales of Grade B eggs were brisk, thanks to the price of RM12 for a tray of 30.
Asnah Atan, 52, who came from Kuala Gula, Parit Buntar said her sole aim of coming to the programme was to buy rice and various food items as they were cheap and affordable.
“The entire family made the 100-kilometre (km) journey here as I couldn’t let the opportunity to buy affordable necessities here,” she said after purchasing two 10-kg packs of rice here today.
“The rice is a really great buy and cheap compared to shops or supermarkets, and in a month the family goes through 20 kg of rice,” she added.
Fellow visitor Mohd Norol Azman Loat Ahmad, 65, from Klebang Restu here said this was his first time coming to such a programme, and he was delighted with the cheap prices of items here.
“I bought rice, onions, eggs, cooking oil among other things. It’s really good to have such a programme as we can save on our monthly expenses,” he said.
Another shopper, Saniah Salleh, 65, from Tapah, also agreed that such sales greatly helped Malaysians are increasingly burdened by the rising cost of living.
“The MADANI Agro Sale really does help the middle-income group as prices here are much lower than at supermarkets,” he said.
Meanwhile, Federal Agricultural and Marketing Authority (FAMA) director-general Abdul Rashid Bahri said that 48 entrepreneurs were involved with the MADANI Agro Sale and offered items priced at 10 to 30 per cent lower than market prices.
He added that 9,000 10-kg packs of local white rice and 270,000 eggs were prepared for visitors throughout the programme’s duration, and that the sale raked in RM158,566.20 in sales on opening day. – Bernama
