THE Covid-19 pandemic has affected everyone and the small business traders in Sarawak are among the worst affected. One of them is Nor Suhaili Abdullah, 45, who runs the Nasi Ayam Percik Thai business.
Before the pandemic, the mother of three could still smile broadly. Her daily sales reached was about RM400 per day when she operated at a stall along the roadside at Desa Ilmu, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak.
But ever since Covid-19 hit, her sales dropped 50%. However, she did not allow that to bring her down.
Despite the decline in sales, Nor uses her savings to maintain the stall which she has been running since 2010.
“I try my best to ensure the remaining five workers that I employ receive their salary. At the same time, the price of the food is maintained at RM6.50 per pack.
“I am thankful to the Vinod Sekhar Foundation which came forward with the #PetraKasih initiative to help the small traders. At least this will help the businesses to improve their sales,” she told Getaran.
The Vinod Sekhar Foundation through the #PetraKasih initiative bought all the Nasi Ayam Percik Thai which were prepared on the day. It distributed them to the locals in the area, including the patrons of the Desa Ilmu mosque, Samarindah surau and Samarahan Information Department.
The stall will also be promoted through social media as well as news portal Getaran and The Vibes which will hopefully help to boost her sales.
Nor originated from Pengkalan Hulu, Perak, and had moved to Sarawak when her husband was transferred there. She said she never expected that her traditional family recipe from Thailand will be well-received in the state.
“For two years, I was operating at Desa Ilmu Ramadan bazaar to help my husband to bring in extra income for the family. For the past eight years, I have been operating at a more permanent spot at Lorong 10 Desa Ilmu. But, after getting incredible support from the customers, I decided to do this seriously,” she said.
Nor said the speciality of her food is the sambal and the special spices to create the special sauce.
"Nasi Ayam Percik Thai is made from fried chicken and nasi kunyit which is good for health. It is complemented by two types of sambal and gravy to give it the flavour and taste,” she said.
"Alhamdulillah, my hard work and the income that I make from the business has helped to change my family’s fate. I am very happy that I managed to fulfil the dream to bring six family members to perform umrah in 2016,” she said.
“I hope the business will grow and I will have my premise one day,” said Nor, whose stall operates from 11am until 8pm daily. – The Vibes, September 23, 2021
#PetraKasih is an initiative under the Vinod Sekhar Foundation to assist and promote food stalls and small traders, including home-based businesses, during the pandemic. Each week, Getaran will highlight the plight of different food traders. If you know a food stall or small trader in your area and feel they deserve to be featured, contact us at [email protected].
* This story first appeared in our Malay-language sister portal Getaran
