SOURCE: The Star
A man is busy unloading boxes of mangoes from the trunk of his four-wheel-drive destined for customers in Johor Baru.
While queuing up to use the Pos Laju service, Mohd Azwan Che Seman, 33, can be seen occasionally wiping away the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his shirt.
This has become a familiar sight with many making good use of the service to courier harum manis mangoes Perlis is famous for, but which buyers are unable to come for themselves.
“Alhamdulillah, although we’re under the movement control order (MCO), I’ve been flooded with orders and it may be said that since last week, I’ve been here almost every day waiting in the long line at the Pos Laju counter to mail mangoes, ” he told Bernama.
The grower-cum-seller said the packing process for shipping begins once he has received an order online for either 3kg, 6kg or 10kg of mangoes.
“It’s the picking season for harum manis, therefore the price per kg ranges from RM20 to RM25 based on the quality, ” he said.
He acknowledged that this year, the online orders were much higher because customers were unable to come to his orchard in Mata Ayer.
A Bernama survey saw people lining up as early as 8am to mail mangoes to friends or customers, all the while observing social distancing and other Health Ministry-recommended safety measures.
Mohd Shahir Mohd Asri, 27, from Taman Ira, Kangar, said he had been at the post office since 9am to send mangoes to his family in Kulim, Kedah.
“I didn’t expect this many people.
“I thought it would just be normal. Luckily, I came early.
“Usually I bring them the mangoes myself but you can’t leave the state, so I’m using courier service, ” he said.
Growers and traders were worried that the MCO would cause a build-up of unsold mangoes, but demand is still good because of the ease of ordering online.
Apparently, aside from Pos Laju, other courier services are also being well patronised for the distribution of this well-loved fruit.