It’s 7am and time is of the essence for Andy Goh and J Y Yap, who have between them 52 years of experience in the business.

They will have to carry, select, cut and stack hundreds of baskets of vegetables from Cameron Highlands before customers arrive at their stall.

“Lifting 20kg baskets of tomatoes every day is seriously one of the hardest parts about this job. But I’m used to it, even though I get body aches from all the lifting,” said Goh.

After lifting and moving the baskets of vegetables that arrive at the market, the two will check the condition of the vegetables to choose the ones that can be sold.

If any of the greens are bruised or spoiled, they throw the vegetables into an empty box. Vegetables like white radish and sawi will be trimmed to remove parts that have turned brown.

After all this is done, they will stack the vegetables seven baskets high, to avoid overcrowding their stall. Each basket can weigh up to 20kg, and the two of them are the only ones using their hulk-like strength to stack them up.

This process can take up to two hours before they can take a break for a quick smoke and banter while waiting for the next load to arrive.

The men will go through three more vegetable deliveries through the day, although their load will be lightened at 9am when their co-workers arrive.

Yap, a happy-go-lucky 40-year-old who has been in the vegetable business for 22 years says he is so used to the job that nothing is hard for him.

“I grew up surrounded by people working in the ‘pasar’ industry and this is what I do best,” he said.

Despite his small frame, Yap who is just over 5ft (152cm) tall, is able to achieve tasks that many Malaysians would find difficult, such as hoisting and placing 20kg vegetable-filled baskets in a stack that is well over his height.

Yap, a father of one child, said he preferred selling vegetables over being a lorry driver as it was a better way to earn a living.

For 50-year-old Goh, what started out as a hobby turned into a career. Goh, who has been in this business for 30 years and did not go to school, opted to become a vegetable trader full-time.

He said although some people may think his job is simple, he said there are actually many factors to take into account in the selection and pricing of vegetables.

“If it rains in Cameron Highlands, there’s going to be a shortage of vegetables and I would need to price the vegetables higher. There are many factors that affect the price of vegetables.

“I take a lot of pride in selecting the best vegetables for my customers. I go through each and every delivery so that every basket is filled with fresh vegetables,” he said.

On top of that, he said selling vegetables is a means for providing for his family and ensuring he can give his child access to quality education.

“Now my daughter has started working,” he says with a proud smile.