Singapore vege prices go up due to hot weather

Supply of leafy vegetables from Malaysia expected to drop by 30% in coming weeks.

SINGAPORE: As Malaysia continues to grapple with hot and dry weather, prices of Malaysian greens imported into Singapore look set to increase further, Channel NewsAsia reported Tuesday.

Quoting Singapore Fruit and Vegetable Importers and Exporters Association, the news portal reported that prices were expected to go up as the supply of leafy vegetables from Malaysia could drop by about 30% in the coming weeks.

“Prices have already been increasing as farmers across the Causeway grapple with the challenging conditions, with temperatures in some places exceeding 37 degree Celsius,” the association’s assistant secretary, Jerry Tan, was quoted as saying.

In Singapore, the wholesale cost of vegetables such as chye sim and spinach had doubled since last month and the price of xiao bai cai had increased by half since two weeks ago, said Tan.

“The reason is because of the hot weather, which is causing those plants not to grow. Production is dropping and demand is going up,” he added.

As a result, the report said the rise in import prices is in many cases being passed on to consumers in Singapore.

This was reflected in the most recent inflation data, which showed food inflation rose 2.2% in March from 2.0% in February, it said.

The report said the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Trade and Industry Ministry had on Monday attributed the higher food prices partly to weather-related supply disruptions in neighbouring countries.

– BERNAMA