Johor govt sends 426 more food baskets to Malaysian workers in Singapore

SINGAPORE:A further 426 food baskets have been sent by the Johor government to Singapore as part of the Food Basket Assistance Mission to Malaysian workers here.

This is the second phase of the assistance mission, after the first involving 300 food baskets which arrived here on Dec 6 last year.

"The balance will be settled in the near future," Acting High Commissioner Muhammad Radzi Jamaludin told Bernama.

The food basket aid mission was flagged off by Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad at Dataran Mahkota Kota Iskandar in Johor on Dec 3.

For a start, Hasni said the state government planned to distribute 1,000 food baskets and would continue the initiative after the 1,000 baskets were distributed.

Hasni had announced the food basket initiative in the 2021 Johor Budget to help Malaysians who are stuck in Singapore due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The food basket this time contains instant noodles, biscuits and pre-mixed drinks estimated to be worth around S$30 compared to the previous 'pack of ready-to-eat', snacks, blankets and personal care packs.

The food baskets will be distributed to Malaysian workers through the help of volunteers from among Malaysian workers themselves.

Malaysian workers who used to travel back and forth from Johor now have to stay temporarily in the republic following strict measures at both borders to curb the pandemic since March last year.

-- BERNAMA