A Malaysian woman has been earning more than RM13,000 a month through part time farm work in Melbourne, Australia, after moving there with her two younger sisters to escape financial hardship.
Left Kelantan for Australia to survive
Tuan Nooraida Tuan Min, 40, from Pasir Puteh, Kelantan, said she made the difficult decision in 2019 to migrate to Melbourne with her sisters, Tuan Nadhirah, 30, and Tuan Nurnasuha, 27.
The move came after the family faced mounting financial struggles back home.
Nooraida said they started taking up seasonal farm jobs to earn a stable income despite having no background in agriculture.
Juggles four different farm jobs a year
According to Nooraida, their work changes depending on the season, and they rotate through at least four different types of jobs yearly.
From January to May, the siblings pick grapes. When the grape season ends, they switch to harvesting broccoli for about two to three months.
After that, they move on to apple packing work. The final part of the year is spent planting, picking and packing tomatoes.
According to Berita Harian, she shared that the income from these jobs has changed her life.
Nooraida now earns around AUD5,000 (approx. RM13,740) a month and the money is used to help clear the financial issues she struggled with previously.
‘It is fun but also tiring’
Even though farm work can be tough, Nooraida enjoys working alongside her sisters.
She said they have learned a lot about farming, from planting to harvesting different crops. However, she admitted the job comes with sacrifices, especially being far from family in Malaysia.
Working long hours also means their meals are not always on time, but she said the effort is worth it because the pay is much higher than what she could get back home.
No plans to return to Malaysia yet
For now, Nooraida does not plan to move back to Malaysia. She said she might return one day, but it will not be anytime soon.
Nooraida also reminded Malaysians who plan to work in Australia to follow proper procedures.
She urged them to apply for legal work visas and avoid taking shortcuts, saying that information about working overseas is widely available today.
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