KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — Cameron Highlands farmers will start selling some vegetables online from tomorrow, after Lazada created a special sales and delivery service to help the group salvage produce they previously discarded due to logistical problems under the movement control order (MCO).

While logistics is an essential service, farmers at Cameron Highlands were forced to dump their produce due to difficulties in securing transport services to bring the goods to other states.

“Two days ago, we read about Cameron farmers who had to throw away their fresh produce due to supply chain issue during MCO,” Lazada said in a statement.

“The Lazada team reached out, figured out the tech and the logistics, and got them onto the Lazada platform in lightning speed.

“Starting Monday, these farmers can now sell directly to consumers. Buy their produce and fresh food to support our local farmers and fisherman community. #lazadamy #lazada8birthday #cameronfarmers #mymarket #myfishman.” 

Lazada created the special “Cameron Farmers” section, alongside its MyFishman for seafood supplies and Mymarket2u for other grocery needs.

Aside from vegetables, others that were forced to dump their produce due to transport issues included fruit growers and fishermen.

Last week, Pakatan Harapan (PH) urged Putrajaya to ensure the supply chains for several sectors run smoothly, especially for food and agriculture, warning instead of possible chaos if the matter is not addressed.  

The statement was undersigned by former Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution (PKR), former Agriculture and Agro-based Industry minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayob (Parti Amanah Negara) and former International Trade and Industry deputy minister, Ong Kian Ming from DAP.

They added that food security is the biggest challenge facing many Malaysian households, especially those whose incomes are affected in the MCO.