The quality and price of fruits and vegetables imported from Malaysia are expected to be affected due to the rainy season.
Stall owners told the reporter that the supply of fruits and vegetables in Malaysia has decreased. As a result, wholesale prices have gone up. The vendors have no choice but to pass on the increased costs to consumers.
The interviewed vendors reported that the supply of fruits and vegetables in Malaysia has decreased, increasing wholesale prices, and vendors have no choice but to pass on the increased costs to consumers.
However, the Singapore Fruits & Vegetables Importers & Exporters Association (SFVIEA) said in an interview that the weather has improved in the past week and the prices of fruits and vegetables are expected to fall.
When the reporter from Lianhe Zaobao visited Kovan 209 Market and Lor Ah Soo Market on Sunday morning (14 January), one stall owner told the reporter that the vegetables he imports from Malaysia include cucumbers, old cucumbers, lettuce and mustard greens. These vegetables are mainly from Kulai and Cameron Highlands.
In response to the impact of the recent rains on vegetable supply, he said: “There is definitely an impact. The supply of corn has also reduced by 20% to 30%. The suppliers also don’t have enough to supply, affecting not just our stall”.
The stall owner also shared that the wholesale price has increased a little. A box of corn from the wholesaler is $1 to $2 higher than usual. But despite the increased costs, he still tries to sell to consumers at the same price. He said: “It’s good if the weather gets better. Otherwise, it will affect the supply during Chinese New Year. If the weather is still as bad, then the supply is expected to be low”.
One worker who works at a Kovan Market fruit stall said that the fruits imported from Malaysia include pineapple, watermelon, papaya, and banana.
She said that the rain has reduced the supply by about one-third, and the prices of fruits such as bananas and watermelons from suppliers have also increased. The specific price increase depends on the situation. Generally, the price for one kilogram of fruit has increased by about 20 cents to 40 cents. They have no choice but to pass on part of the cost to consumers.
“The market has fewer people now. The residents nearby are getting older, or they have all moved away. The younger generation will not come to buy these things. They are used to going out to buy those ready-cut fruits to eat, they will not buy a whole or half a watermelon,” she added.
Another vegetable vendor at Lorong Ah Soo Market said that the humid weather has caused the quality of vegetables to deteriorate. “Because of the rain, the vegetables will have spots on them when they arrive, and they will turn yellow quickly. We can’t sell them even if we have them,” he said.
He said that the supply of vegetables in Malaysia has decreased by about 80%, and wholesale prices have increased by at least 70%. “Usually the price could be $2, but now it might cost $4,” he continued.
Although the retail price has gone up, the vendor said that he will try his best to absorb the increased cost for his regular customers.
Diversifying import sources from other countries such as Thailand
Mr Jerry Tan, vice-president of the Singapore Fruits and Vegetables Importers and Exporters Association (SFVIEA), said that the heavy rain in Malaysia in the past few weeks has led to an increase in vegetable prices. However, he emphasized that Singapore’s vegetable supply sources are diversified, and importers are also importing more vegetables from Thailand, mainland China, and Taiwan.
He said that humid weather can also cause vegetables to turn mouldy, and vegetables grown in the open air will also rot in the farmland if they are exposed to rain for a long time. However, the transportation process does not affect the quality of vegetables.
In terms of price, water spinach, more commonly known as kangkong, has doubled; the price of lettuce has also increased by 50%. The prices of cucumbers have fallen due to the stable supply of cucumbers imported from Thailand.
“The weather has been good over the past week and we can expect prices to fall back shortly,” he added.
