TEMERLOH: The Pahang government will apply to have the Pekan Sehari Temerloh here, which is estimated to be over 100 years old, be gazetted as a heritage site.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said the move would preserve the uniqueness and history of the one-day market, in addition to giving added value to the morning market that operates every Sunday in Lurah Semantan, on the banks of the Pahang River.
"This one-day market is not found anywhere else and has been inducted into the Malaysian Book of Records (MBOR) for being the longest morning market, which is 2.1 kilometres, and having the biggest number of traders, totalling 607.
"The old barter trade is still practised at the market, and in line with current development, half of the traders also receive cashless payments," he told reporters after launching the Cashless Pekan Sehari Temerloh programme and the MBOR Certificate presentation ceremony at the market today.
Also present were Agrobank president and chief executive officer Datuk Tengku Ahmad Badli Shah Raja Hussein, Pahang State Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin and the Temerloh Municipal Council president Suris Mihat.
The one-day market has been held at the current site since the 1940s and it is learned that it was operating at another site for more than 40 years before it was moved to the present site.
Wan Rosdy said the one-day market was not only popular among the locals but also among people from outside Pahang to get a variety of goods including river fish, vegetables and ulam, traditional cakes and fruits.
The presence of many visitors made the one-day market known as one of the tourism products in Temerloh, a district known for "ikan patin" (river catfish).
"I was informed that as many as 5,000 to 7,000 people come to the market when it is opened, providing a good income for traders, with an estimated income of RM300 to RM4,000, as well as the economic spillover to other industries such as restaurants and accommodation in the area," he added. – BERNAMA