Lockdowns digitise farmers - 8th June 2020

Online shopping is providing a solution to South East Asian farmers facing a new challenge. They are struggling to sell their stock with markets under lockdown for the foreseeable future.

With restrictions in effect all over the world, a Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia has seen the closure of all wet and wholesale markets. This has resulted in farmers discarding hundreds of tonnes of their freshly harvested produce.

Luckily, tech companies have been providing a 21st century solution. E-commerce platforms have helped many suppliers go online for the first time in order to connect with their customers.

Already a major commercial presence in the region, Lazada has responded to the restrictions by constructing a separate section of their site specifically to assist Malaysian farmers in selling their stock online.

Customers can now buy directly from the people growing the food. Since the first weekend of the Malaysian lockdown, more than 1.5 tonnes of vegetables have been bought each and every day. The platform has since added a "MyFishman" seafood purchasing site and Mymarket2u for everyday groceries in response to the high demand. A donations page has also been set up to help support local communities during the coronavirus crisis.

Other South East Asian countries have made similar transformations to their farming industry. Rumar Sayur Group, an Indonesian agricultural cooperative, has also explored digital options to aid struggling farmers. When the lockdowns began, the group lost most of their usual customers of restaurants and supermarkets. Now they are using the internet to connect suppliers directly with customers. Not only saving their business, this has also prevented thousands of farmers from throwing away freshly harvested food.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for digital transformation in this very traditional industry across South East Asia. However, the question remains as to whether consumption habits have changed for good. How will e-commerce fare once lockdowns are lifted and the markets reopen?