To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.
– Mahatma Gandhi, Indian anti-colonialist nationalist
I was on my way to a mamak joint for breakfast last week to catch up with a former YB whom I had not met since the 12th state election when the TraXX FM deejay’s announcement caught my attention.
No, it had nothing to do with music or politics; what he said took me by surprise. It was about the humble curry leaves – the commonly used seasoner that adds a special flavour to almost every Malaysian dish. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I say that apart from the Indians, the herb is widely used by the Malays, Dayaks and even Chinese in their cooking.
Come to think of it, curry leaves were hardly used by the Chinese as a food enhancer in the past. They have their ‘can’t-live-without’ Ajinomoto, the world renowned brand for monosodium glutamate (MSG), to spice up their dishes. Things, however, have changed; somehow they realised the goodness of curry leaves and are more attuned to using the herb now.
Herein lies the problem. The unexpected high demand for the herb has led to its price shooting up. What used to cost 20 or 30 sen for five stalks are now sold for between 50 sen and RM1!
“At one time it used to be free, zero cost to us, but now we are buying it for between RM12 and RM15 per kg,” lamented a mamak fast food outlet owner. “We have no choice but to pass on the cost to our customers.”
Now, let’s get back to the radio DJ’s announcement. If I could recall it went something like this: “Guys, everything is going up. Even curry leaves cost more now. Don’t expect curry leaves in your curry or other food. It has become expensive.
“CAP (Consumers’ Association of Penang) is asking the people to grow their own curry leaves which can easily be grown…especially in pots. So, let’s help the government bring down the cost of vegetables!”
I support CAP and the DJ’s call to plant our own curry leaves. Not just this herb, but other veggies as well.
It’s about time we planted our own brinjals, tomatoes, okra, chili, chai sim, long beans, kangkong, snake beans, taugeh, sweet potato, pek chai, bayam, kalian, changkok manis, four-angled beans, moringa drumsticks, etc and force down the prices.
Consumers in India, Thailand and the Philippines have been successful in bringing down the prices of veggies and food because the people there, including urbanites, are following their governments’ advice to enhance food security by planting their own food.
Why can’t we in this country do the same? Perhaps it’s our tidak apa (lackadaisical) attitude that is to blame. We take things for granted. Malaysians, Sarawakians included, lack consumerism; hence the reason for profiteering by unscrupulous traders.
Prices of almost all food and drinks have gone up because there is great demand. Therefore, when there is demand, businesses take the opportunity to make unreasonable profits. Certain products are in short supply, not only during festive occasions, but also during normal days. Take eggs for example, we find several outlets running out of supply!
The soaring prices of vegetables are of concern among the population. Prices of tomatoes, long beans, kalian, four-angled beans, chillies and ladies’ fingers have touched record highs. Even 500g of moringa drumsticks at grocery stores in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, can now easily cost RM5 or more, depending on the supply. Not long ago they can be obtained at RM2.50. The moringa is a popular Indian vegetable, but the Chinese and Malay communities are also going for this vegetable now.
To overcome the food shortage and rising vegetable prices, now would be a good time to start growing our own vegetables. For example, one kilogramme of tomatoes now costs at least RM8.50. At one time they could fetch RM4 or less for a kilo!
So, instead of buying tomatoes for RM8.50 a kilo, wouldn’t we be saving a lot if we harvested, say one or two kilos of tomatoes weekly from our small backyard farm? The excess can be stored in the fridge.
We can also grow other veggies like chili, chai sim, long beans, kangkong or bayam – which don’t take much effort to plant and cultivate – and help the authorities bring down the cost of greens.
I recall my mum planting our own vegetables on the small plot of land next to our government quarters in the Sixties and Seventies. We grew almost all of the vegetables that I mentioned earlier. I also helped out occasionally by digging the soil and placing manure. My favourite vegetables were kailan and chai sim. By the time I finished my primary education I was quite adept at farming.
Growing our own vegetables is not only satisfying, but is also healthy and good for the environment because we are aware of how food is grown. It also lessens the carbon footprint since vegetables harvested in our backyard doesn’t need to be packed in plastics. We just harvest and place the excess in the fridge.
More importantly, by growing our own vegetables we are ensuring self-sufficiency and helping the government to enhance food security in the long run; also we need not spend billions on food imports.
In the short term we will help force down the prices of food and prevent scarcity of certain products, eggs for example. Perhaps, we should encourage poultry rearing too under strict conditions for our own eggs? On second thoughts, better not lah! It’s not hygienic.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
