From garden to table: MBKS backs Kuching Natural Farmers Market with bigger venue plans

Participants posed for the camera with Wee (seventh right) at the KNFM 51st Market Day at the MBKS roof shade carpark on March 21, 2026.

By Wilfred Pilo

KUCHING, March 21: Kuching City South Council (MBKS) has reaffirmed its support for the Kuching Natural Farmers Market (KNFM), with plans to reallocate a larger venue in the near future to accommodate the market’s growth.

MBKS Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng praised the small but impactful weekend market, which began three years ago, for offering city consumers healthier choices through hearty, organic food.

“This market is an excellent place for residents who prioritise health to access fresh produce directly from vendors at lower prices, without the hassle of middlemen. The council is pleased to provide a platform for them to showcase and sell what they have grown and created.

“Beyond being a farmers market, it is a vibrant community hub where cheerful vendors gather, rain or shine, to share their produce,” he said before officiating KNFM’s 51st Market Day at the MBKS roof shade carpark today.

Also present was KNFM founder and co-organiser of the event Wee Ai Chin.

Members of the public patronised the KNFM 51st Market Day at MBKS roof shade carpark on March 21, 2026.

Wee highlighted the market as a reflection of a strong, peaceful community deserving public support.

“These vendors are not here for profit but to provide healthier options at affordable prices.

“Maintaining the variety of food choices is crucial. Without this marketplace, many local products could disappear, and future generations would lose touch with our traditional foods. If farmers have no place to sell and no buyers, they will stop planting, and species will naturally die out,” he said.

Regular vendor Chua Hui Ling, 40, shares her love of local culinary traditions through her home-baked, sugar-free wholemeal bread, pandan-flavoured local kuih, homegrown aloe vera drinks, and her own take on ondeh-ondeh filled with grated coconut and local nipah sugar.

“I learned these recipes from my mother, a retired kuih seller. Continuing her legacy is my way of keeping these traditions alive,” she said.

Chua (left) and her son at the KNFM 51st Market Day at MBKS roof shade carpark on March 21, 2026.

A white-collar professional, Chua spends her weekends perfecting healthier cakes and pastries made from natural, homegrown ingredients. With the support of her husband, a fellow food enthusiast, and her grown child, she is optimistic about KNFM’s future.

“I hope the KNFM, right here in MBKS, grows into a popular destination for city folk seeking healthier food and supporting local cottage industries,” she added.

Chua accepts pre-orders for her homemade cakes and pastries at 016-579 8069.

The KNFM operates on the first and third Saturday of every month, from 7am to 11am. — DayakDaily