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JOHOR BARU: Vegetable prices have risen up to 30% due to the rainy season, especially in the northern part of the state and also in parts of the Cameron Highlands.
The unpredictable weather has impacted farmers who are harvesting lower yields and this is expected to continue for some time.
However, the president of the Malaysian Vegetable Farmers Association, Tan So Tiok, assured consumers that there would be enough vegetables for Hari Raya.
He noted that it had been raining for the past two weeks, but there was a flash flood on Sunday, affecting many vegetable farms in Tangkak.
“Although the water receded in an hour, some of the crops were affected,” he said.
Past: Vegetable farms at Bukit Gambir in Tangkak, Johor, partially submerged due to heavy flooding.
Tan previously said that they were producing around 70 metric tons of vegetables a day, but it fell to around 50 metric tons. In northern Johor alone, there were about 50 vegetable growers growing about 242ha of land, he said.
He said most of his products were for local consumption, while some farmers in Simpang Renggam, Kulai and Kempas exported their vegetables to Singapore through intermediaries. Tan said for the moment that farmers would not want to risk over-planting during the rainy season.
Meanwhile, local vegetable and fruit wholesaler Chin Boon Ching said vegetable prices rose not only in Johor but also in other states because Cameron Highlands products were also more expensive due to the rainy season.
“The biggest increase was red chili peppers, which increased from RM4 to almost RM7 per kg,” he said.
Chin said vegetable prices would generally rise at the end of the year due to the monsoon season, but heavy rains in the past two weeks also affected all types of vegetables in bloom.
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