Severe flooding in Malaysia over the weekend left 33 people dead. About 64 per cent of the 80,434 tons of leafy vegetables Singapore imported last year came from Malaysia. Although floods have been ravaging Malaysia, major retailers and industry players in Singapore said the overall supply of vegetables remains stable.
There were however price increases of vegetables, which were uneven. Some wet market stallholders, however, saw a drop in vegetable supplies. But despite cost prices rising, they were hesitant to increase prices.
While the cost price of spring onions did not increase for Mr Ng, that of tomatoes from Malaysia has more than doubled from $0.80 per kg to $1.95. This left him with no choice but to pass on the cost to his customers. Tomatoes are now sold at $2.50 per kg, up from $1.50 per kg previously.
The cost price for 5kg of chilli padi also doubled from $20 to $40, and Mr Ng is now selling them at $10 per kg, up from $7 before.
[ $1 = €0.65 ]
