Nov 15, 2010 - Straits Times
Regional floods cut supply; rates likely to
stay high until after festive period
By
Jessica Lim
RECENT floods have devastated vegetable crops in neighbouring major
exporting countries Malaysia and Thailand, leading to higher prices in
Singapore.
Prices of many vegetables - from Thai asparagus to Malaysian
tomatoes - have been inching up over the past month, and importers warn
that prices are likely to stay high as demand strengthens over the
Christmas and Chinese New Year periods.
The high prices now are an anomaly, they say. Typically,
prices start to rise only late next month, when demand increases during
the festive season.
At Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre, some vegetables now cost
twice as much as they did just a month ago.
Mr Gary Ong, 44, who owns Vat Thoa Vegetables Wholesaler, a
stall there, said the supply of some vegetables, such as long beans,
brinjal and tomatoes, has been severely affected. These vegetables
cannot survive in waterlogged areas.
'Suppliers have told us that bad weather and flooding have
affected crops. Vegetables such as kang kong and cai xin are less
affected because they can survive in water,' he said.