Liew Hanqing, The New Paper 2 Feb 08;
YOUR shopping basket will be a little more expensive this year, no thanks to a rise in vegetable prices.
Prices are up between 5 and 10 per cent because higher oil prices have made importing vegetables more expensive.
The good news is there will be ample supply of vegetables for the Chinese New Year festivities.
Mr Law Song Nam, vice-chairman of the Singapore Fruits and Vegetables Importers and Exporters Association, told Lianhe Wanbao that the higher prices were not related to the poor harvests in China caused by cold weather.
He said: 'The vegetable supply for the Chinese New Year period is adequate and a shortage is unlikely.
MANY SOURCES
'We import vegetables from 34 countries, so consumers need not worry about not being able to buy vegetables during this period.'
Mr Law added the main reason for the price hike is the higher cost of importing vegetables.
'A 20-tonne crate of vegetables now costs $280 to ship, compared to $140 previously.'
But good harvests in China prior to the onset of cold weather have helped to moderate the price rise, he said.
'There probably won't be much of a change in the prices during the festive season.'
Other industry sources say that the effects of poor harvests in southern China will probably only occur after the festive season.
They anticipate poor harvests will affect the supply of vegetable imports from Guangzhou and Kunming, which are likely to fall by at least 5 per cent.
Prices are also unlikely to fall after the festive season. In fact, they may even rise further, Lianhe Wanbao quoted industry sources as saying.
Housewife Eunice Yeo, 50, was concerned about the price hikes.
She said: 'It's not just the price of vegetables that has gone up. The price of nearly everything has gone up.
'It's also getting much more expensive to eat out, even at the hawker centres.'
Agreeing, Madam Chua Fwan, 54, a housewife, said: 'Everything is getting more expensive. But there's no choice because we can't just go without vegetables.
'I don't notice it that much when I eat out, but my grocery bill is definitely much higher than it used to be.'
But Mr Michael Loh, 42, who runs a seafood supply business, said he isn't too concerned about the price increase.
He said: 'My wife and I don't usually cook at home - we eat out most of the time, so we don't really feel the immediate effects of the price increases.
'We're not too affected by it.'
