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Consumers upset, traders claim they are also feeling the pinch

KUALA LUMPUR: As traders raise the prices of food, consumers are forced to adopt a prudent lifestyle.

The traders, however, claimed that despite imposing higher prices and subsequently having to deal with unhappy customers, they were still incurring losses.

Sulaiman Mahdin, 60, who sells local and imported beef at the Chow Kit wet market, said he had no choice but to pay whatever amount charged by his suppliers.

"Almost everything at the market these days is being sold at higher prices. Traders who get their supplies from the middlemen will suffer as they have to pay more and make less profit. There are days traders can only break even.

"Previously, imported beef was sold at RM12 per kg. Nowadays, the price is between RM15 and RM17 per kg. We can't do anything but to raise our prices as well.

"Our hands are tied. It is either we comply or risk not having anything to sell by the end of the day," he told the New Straits Times.

Sulaiman, who owns a butcher stall called Man and Meats at the wet market for the last 40 years, said, he chose to maintain the usual prices for his products to ensure that his customers would keep coming to his stall.

"I maintain the old prices, although my suppliers are charging me extra. Only when I am forced to or as the last resort, I may have to raise prices and this is likely to happen when I can no longer absorb the losses," he said.

The NST checked several wet markets around the Klang Valley and found that most fresh produce were being sold at higher prices, including chicken, which was sold at between RM9.50 and RM10.50 per kg; prawns at between RM30 and RM40 per kg, and chillies at RM12 per kg.

Customers were also heard complaining loudly when paying for their purchases, and some were seen trying to negotiate with the traders.

A vegetable trader said he could only earn about 80 sen for every 1kg of potatoes sold.

"I cannot disclose how much I have paid for them, though. It is safe to say that I'm earning about 50 sen to RM1 for each supply I've taken from my vegetable suppliers. This is not even 20 per cent of what I have invested."

"And some days, I have to incur higher losses when the fresh produce I've received is not in good condition. Since vegetables are perishable goods, they will wilt if they are not sold (fast)."

The 22-year-old trader said he had become jaded by how things had developed and would pay whatever price set by the suppliers.

A housewife, who wanted to be known only as Azira, said she was shocked when she had to pay RM300 for groceries recently.

"My husband and I have capped our monthly expenditure for groceries within RM200 or RM250. This includes buying food items including chicken, meat and household essentials.

"You can imagine our surprise when we have to pay more than RM300 for the same items we've been buying every month.

"The most obvious price increase is fresh chicken as I usually pay less than RM20 for 2kg, but now it has reached up to RM25 for the same quantity."

Azira expressed hope that the authorities would address the rising cost of living issue soon.

"Many are still trying to recover from the backlash of the Covid-19 pandemic. The authorities have to do something about this."

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