KUALA LUMPUR: Rising raw material costs have forced many traders at the Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) Ramadan Bazaar to increase the prices of their offerings.
A survey today found that traders have had to raise the prices of their offerings by around RM1 to RM2.
Murtabak seller Suhaimi Ahmad, 54, said he had to increase the price of his murtabak from RM5 to RM7.
"The price of onions has risen to RM7 per kilogramme (kg) today. Usually, we use Indian onions, but they are no longer available in the market.
"Murtabak uses a lot of onions. We used to face a shortage of eggs. These are some of the problems traders are facing today," he said when met by the writer.
Suhaimi said he had informed buyers earlier.
"It depends on the buyer to accept the price increase with an open heart. We traders have no choice. We apologise to all customers," he said.
Meanwhile, Roti John seller Asmah Jamilus, 43, said she had to increase the price of Roti John due to the rising prices of chili sauce, black pepper sauce, and meat.
"I actually wanted to raise the price to RM10, but my husband advised that RM9 would be enough. Last year, I sold Roti John for RM8.
"I had to raise the price because the minced meat we use has increased from RM18.50 to RM21.50. We use 15kg of meat per day.
"We haven't reduced the size of the bread, just increased it by RM1. We've been in business here for a long time. We informed customers earlier," she said.
Meanwhile, kuih tepung pelita seller Mohd Redzuan Musa did not increase the price but maintained the same price as last year.
For private sector employee Hadiya Hamzah, 34, the prices of offerings at this bazaar was still reasonable.
"Everything has increased in price now, I understand that traders have had to raise prices. For me, if we buy offerings outside, we still have to pay, so it depends on individuals on how to accept this price increase.
"For spending at the Ramadan bazaar, I allocate no more than RM50 for two people," she said.