WHILE most businesses are affected for the worse when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, some businesses managed to thrive even during those challenging times.
According to the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) director general Datuk Zainal Abidin Yang Razali, the Agrobazaar Online portal attracted a massive number of traffic, close to reaching congestion.
As a result, Zainal revealed that the site bagged its strongest sales in April 2020, amounting to RM835,579.
This came after FAMA, in collaboration with the National Security Council, made an announcement via a short message system (SMS) early that month to promote the portal, seeing as the movement control order (MCO) made it difficult for consumers to get fresh agro-based goods following the closure of fresh markets.
To make it easier for consumers to get access to goods, FAMA also works with other e-commerce platforms such as Lazada, Shopee, and Foodpanda.
The agency also leverages the digital platforms by doing “Great Sales” on special dates (e.g: 10.10, 11.11 and 12.12) as well as in conjunction with the Merdeka and 55 years of FAMA celebrations.
As at 11.11, a total of 5,902 entrepreneurs were registered on Agrobazaar Online with 18,775 stock keeping units (SKUs) and total sales of RM7.9 mil were recorded.
Meanwhile, the six-month collaboration between FAMA, Lazada and Shopee starting April 2020 managed to record sales amounting to RM128,565.86 and almost 258 SKUs were marketed.
Apart from the strategic alliance, Zainal Abidin said, FAMA is planning a collaboration in training entrepreneurs to develop their own e-commerce websites through the eFAMAplace platform and Shoppergram.Com, with the expectation of benefitting over 1,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Through the eFAMAplace platform, FAMA estimates to achieve a sales value of RM1.5 mil over a period of six months.
Going forward, Zainal Abidin said FAMA will create Agrohub, a storage, packaging and delivery centre for online sales.
For the first phase of Agrohub development, five locations have been identified, namely in Perak, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Johor and Sabah, he said.
“It is to ensure that the distribution of goods can be done more quickly and accurately while maintaining the quality of the fresh agro-based products,” he said.
“I see it as a blessing during the pandemic. The new norm is changing the way people buying things. They get into digital but it can still help SME entrepreneurs especially agro-based to increase their income,” he added.
Since March 18, the first day of MCO, until Nov 8, 2020, sales through Agrobazaar Online as well as Pre Order order service via Whatsapp reached RM15.43 mil with 122,720 deliveries.
In comparison, total online sales throughout 2019 were only RM1.04 mil.
Meanwhile, in the first 10 months of 2020, the portal recorded a 523% surge in users to 44,041 compared to 7,068 users in the same period of 2019.
Orders soared 275% to 16,849 from 4,495 orders previously.
Combined with the offline physical setting, FAMA recorded sales of RM721.58 mil from March 18 to Nov 8, 2020. – Jan 2, 2021
