.jpg "A customer buys vegetables at the Pasar Pinji market in Ipoh March 20, 2020. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Farhan Najib")
IPOH, June 24 — Nineteen out of the 29 farmers’ markets in Perak began operating in stages from today, with the number of traders being reduced to maintain social distancing.
State Agriculture, Fishery, Plantation and Food Security Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Yunus Jamahri said the reopening was allowed after obtaining approval from the local authorities on condition they adhered to the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
He said Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) officers would be stationed at the farmers’ markets to ensure that the traders and visitors complied with the SOPs.
“The distance between traders is set at 1.5 metres apart. The number of stalls will also be reduced. If previously they opened two or three stalls each, now only one stall will be allowed for each trader during the recovery movement control order (RMCO) period,” he said at a press conference here today.
He added that Fama would also use a numbering system to control the number of people visiting the markets.
Abdul Yunus said the other 10 farmers’ markets were awaiting approval from the local authorities as they were located in narrow areas. — Bernama
