Hot Spell A Boon For Dried, Fermented Fish Producers In Tumpat

TUMPAT, 6 April (Bernama) -- The hot weather currently affecting several states is proving beneficial for dried fish and ikan bekok (fermented fish) producers at Pantai Geting here, as it shortens the drying period.

Entrepreneur Wan Safiyyah Wan Yusoff, 48, said the current dry spell is somewhat unusual, as the dried fish she produces now only takes a day to dry instead of two days.

“As for ikan bekok, which is fermented fish, it only takes about 20 minutes to process. I usually source the fish from local fishermen, while some are imported from Thailand.

“Each month, I process about 100 kilogrammes of dried fish and ikan bekok. Normally, demand for dried fish is lower during the dry season and picks up during the monsoon, unlike ikan bekok, which enjoys steady demand year-round,” she told reporters at her stall near Pantai Geting here today.

Wan Safiyyah said she processes various types of fish, including croaker, ponyfish, stingray, queenfish and torpedo scad, while ikan bekok is made from croaker.

“After being cleaned, the fish is briefly cured with salt before being dried under the scorching sun. The process is much smoother now, thanks to the hot weather,” she said.

Wan Safiyyah, who is also known as ‘Kak Yah Budu Paye’, said most customers either visit her stall or make purchases online, with dried fish priced at RM30 per kilogramme, while ikan bekok is sold at between RM42 and RM50 per kilogramme.

-- BERNAMA