Its history can be traced back to the leprosy settlement in the area that was dubbed as “The Valley of Hope” as it gave patients a chance to live a semi-normal life.
Despite its poignant beginning, how are the nurseries of Sungai Buloh faring in recent days? More importantly, what are their hopes for the future? FMT speaks to two second-generation nursery operators for their insights.
Chai Tong Sin, 59, manages SWS Garden, a three-decades-old business that he took over from a relative 15 years ago. Apart from the nursery in Sungai Buloh, he also owns two other branches in Kampung Melayu Subang and Puchong.
He told FMT that his business suffered greatly because of the pandemic. And the massive floods in December last year only worsened an already bad situation.
But just like the bamboo he sells that symbolises strength and resilience, Chai is nowhere near calling it quits but is gearing up for the Chinese New Year festivities ahead, making room in his nursery for the stream of flowers and plants gradually arriving.
According to Chai, popular plants during Chinese New Year, apart from chrysanthemums, are lime trees and the “lucky bamboo”.
“The crooked stalk of the lucky bamboo is believed to turn bad luck into good luck,” he explained. According to Chai, these trees come from China.
So, what is his view of business this Chinese New Year?
Although things seem to be picking up for Chai this week with customers coming by to purchase plants for the festive season, he said, “We are still waiting for more supply of chrysanthemums to arrive from Cameron Highlands. There is a lack of supply of fresh flowers due to a shortage of workers there and the prices have also increased by at least 10%. So, at this point, it’s hard to estimate how business will be.”
However, for the coming Year of the Tiger, Chai remains positive and said, “I hope for better business but above all, I wish for good health.”
An uncertain future
Similarly, for Mohd Noor Abdullah, business had taken a dip since the onset of the pandemic. “Although Chinese New Year is around the corner, it’s not as busy as how it used to be,” said the 62-year-old. He believes this is because customers have less money to spend on plants these days.
Noor, who is also a second-generation nursery operator, runs Mohd Noor Agriculture and Farming. The business is over 30 years old and was started by his father.
Like Chai, his business too was badly affected by the floods last year. “The strong winds and heavy rains daily damaged a lot of the plants and washed away bags of fertiliser. Furthermore, we were unable to work when it was raining, and there were no customers.”
He estimated the damage from the floods at over RM50,000. “We did not receive any help from the government,” he lamented.
Despite earning no income from his business due to the lockdown, he still had to spend RM380,000 to relocate his nursery away from the main entrance as instructed by the authorities.
“Whatever I have earned has been invested back into the business. Now, I have so much money stuck in this place,” he said, sounding worried.
“At times, I don’t even have enough money to pay myself because I have to decide which expenses are the priority. We are even unable to pay our house and vehicle instalments,” he said.
He revealed further hardship. “Before this, my children used to eat chicken, but now we only eat vegetables. This is the first time in my life that I am facing these kinds of challenges.”
Today, Noor’s seven children, from 12 to 40 years old, are all helping out in the business.
“Even though we are the owners, we are doing the cleaning ourselves because we face a shortage of workers. I am 62 years old, but I still have to work hard,” Noor shared.
When asked about his hopes for the future, there was no hesitancy as he answered, “I hope that this business, which I inherited from my father, can be continued by my children, grandchildren, and someday, their descendants.”
SWS Garden
Lot 53, Jalan Subang
47000 Sungai Buloh
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Business hours: 8am to 7pm
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Mohd Noor Agriculture and Farming
Lot 51 and 52
Jalan Besar Sungai Buloh Subang
47000 Sungai Buloh
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Business Hours: 7am to 10pm
Learn more on their Facebook profile.