by AFIQ AZIZ/ pic by TMR FILE

THIS year, most Ramadhan bazaar nationwide will be replaced with digital online bazaar as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

For starter, Selangor has partnered e-hailing service provider Grab to digitise the state’s Ramadhan bazaar to serve Malaysians from the comfort and safety of their own homes.

Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the partnership is a result of Ramadhan bazaar’s cancellation in the state which will affect the livelihood of some 17,000 business owners.

“This new platform, E-Bazaar Ramadhan Selangor Grab, will allow businesses to still earn some income during the holy month besides providing an opportunity to the Selangor residents to purchase foods online,” he said.

The government will open a centralised kitchen which will be operating at 15 different locations in the state. The locations have been identified and will be coordinated by the state subsidiary’s firms, Menteri Besar Inc and Yayasan Hijrah Selangor.

“The concept of digital Ramadhan bazaar will only allow online purchase via the Grab application and the food preparation will fulfil the Health Ministry’s specification,” Amirudin added.

Meanwhile, Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa in announcing the cancellation of physical bazaar this year said there will be three new approaches for sellers to sell food and drinks in Ramadhan.

The three approaches are drive-thru, pack and pick, as well as e-hailing delivery.

For the drive-thru concept, hawkers would be arranged according to segments and all food are pre-packed for customers to select.

On the other hand, Grab Malaysia country head Sean Goh said the company is actively engaging other state councils on the possibility of digitising their local Ramadhan bazaar merchants to safeguard the income of micro entrepreneurs.

“Each year, micro entrepreneurs and social sellers look forward to the season as their busiest period. They participate in their neighbourhood’s Ramadhan bazaar and organise pop-up stores across the cities. But without a physical presence this year, they may not yield the same as before,” he said.

Last week, Sabah, Kedah, Terengganu, Melaka and Selangor have announced the cancellation of Ramadhan bazaar at their respective states.

The Pahang government is also following suit with their “PahangMart” initiative.

AirAsia Group Bhd’s first restaurant, Santan, also introduced a digital initiative to support micro, small and independent vendors selling Ramadhan delicacies to continue their businesses by launching a Ramadhan e-bazaar on santan.com.my starting April 23-May 23, 2020.

The e-bazaar calls for all vendors based in the Klang valley to participate by registering their business at santan.com.my/Ramadhan by today. All shortlisted vendors will be announced tomorrow.