KUALA Muda fishermen in Kedah have seen their earnings halved as many markets remain closed, despite the relaxation of restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19.

This has led to a drop in demand from middlemen who buy their catch, while those buying are also demanding lower prices.

Worried fishermen told The Malaysian Insight recently that, before the movement control order (MCO) was enforced on March 18, they could easily make a profit of RM300 per trip.

However, since then, even though restrictions have been eased, they have not been able to make more than RM150 with the same size catch.

“We are catching as much as we did before the MCO but what we make from the sale is not that much,” fisherman Mohd Tarik Abd Hamid said when met at Pasar Bisik Kuala Muda.

He said the drop in their income was also due to fewer fishmongers doing business and that the few that still are, are not buying in as large a quantity as before.

“When we used to land our boats with our catch, middlemen would swarm around us.

“Now, demand is no longer the same as most of the night markets have yet to reopen.

“So, middlemen don’t buy in large quantities for fear they might not be able sell all of it,” the 20-year-old said.

Before the MCO, middlemen would buy up to 600kg of fish and other seafood, but these days, they only buy around 200kg.

As it’s a buyers’ market now, middlemen are also buying the catch at cheaper wholesale rates, Tarik added.

“Ikan senangin (threadfin) used to fetch RM25 per kg. Now, it’s only RM15 a kg.

“Tenggiri (Spanish mackerel) was RM20 per kg before; now, it’s RM8. While ikan kembung (chub mackerel) is now RM2 compared with RM6 before the MCO.

“The catch that we cannot sell to middlemen, we sell to frozen food factories. But, they buy from us at dirt cheap prices, too. We only make 10 sen profit per kg.”

Fisherman Nazrul Ismail, 37, is also waiting for a time when wholesale buyers will demand their pre-MCO volumes again.

“There are lots of people at Pasar Bisik but they are not buying much. People are buying just enough for their daily consumption and it is not enough to make up for the shortfall left by the middlemen,” he said.

Nazrul said his earnings have dropped by 50% to around RM100 from the usual RM200 he earned daily before the MCO.

The price of fish has dropped by about 30%, he added.

For example, Grade A prawns are now RM50 per kg compared with RM80 before the MCO.

Pasar Bisik, where “bisik” means “whisper”, got its name in the early 1960s when buyers and sellers would whisper their bargains to one another before agreeing on a price.

Fishermen and wholesalers here said the practice has continued through the decades, but health protocols that require social distancing have put a stop to this.

Fewer buyers come these days as many night markets have yet to reopen, said middleman Mazlan Omar, 52.

Pasar Bisik is now only busy from Fridays to Sundays, and quiet the rest of the week.

“Middlemen are also not buying every day like they used to, and only buying three days a week.”

As a middleman, Mazlan said he could earn up to RM2,000 a day before the MCO, but is now only making between RM500 and RM600.

The situation is stressful, as middlemen have workers to pay.

He said some middlemen have diversified their business methods, such as taking orders and doing deliveries.

This includes Mohammed Fathi Bakhir, 30, of Seberang Jaya, Penang, who hit on the idea during the MCO.

“When people could not leave their homes because of the MCO, I would take their orders and buy the fish for them. I would buy their fish at Pasar Bisik Kuala Muda and Pasar Bisik Penaga.

“These markets are right by the jetty, where prices are cheap and the fish still fresh. I also know many of the fishermen, so I will usually wait for them at the jetty.”

Fathi, whose customers mostly live in Permatang Pauh, said he handled orders of between 100kg and 200kg a day, which earns him a daily income of between RM200 and RM300. – July 26, 2020.