KUALA LUMPUR: Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub assured that the recent price hike of vegetables is only temporary due to the flood season.
Salahuddin, who is also the former Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, said Malaysians should stay calm amidst reports that the prices of certain types of vegetables had increased more than double due to erratic weather conditions.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department in a statement said the northeast monsoon season started on Nov 7 would last until March 2023.
"Also, since the approval permit (AP) is no longer needed to import vegetables, we can import vegetables to meet local demand if it's not enough," the minister said in a sit-down interview with the New Straits Times.
Last Wednesday, the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) said prices of several vegetables had skyrocketed by more than 160 per cent last month.
According to CAP, the price of lady's fingers had gone up by 166 per cent from RM6 per kg last month to RM16 per kg this month.
Similarly, long beans had doubled in price from RM6 per kg to RM12 per kg, tomatoes from RM4.50 per kg to RM10 per kg (a 120 per cent increase), and eggplants from RM7 per kg to RM12 per kg (a 71 per cent increase).
CAP added that several retailers, distributors and wholesalers had warned that prices of other vegetables might go up in the coming weeks.
The New Straits Times previously reported that poor weather and reduced production had led to an increase in vegetable prices and should these factors persist, prices are expected to soar even higher for the Chinese New Year period.
Cameron Highlands Vegetable Growers Association secretary Chay Ee Mong said harvests and the quality of the vegetables had been dropping due to the year-end monsoon season.
Chay said the types of vegetables which are expected to see a price hike of between 20 per cent and 30 per cent were tomatoes, cucumbers, chilies, beans, capsicum and selected leafy vegetables.
However, he said consumers could choose other types of leafy vegetables that were still priced low, such as spinach and cabbage.