Container congestion at Westports in Port Klang has led to delivery delays and unnecessary costs for the past month, claimed several wholesalers and retailers.
They said the delay caused imported onions to have sprouted and therefore could no longer be sold. Seasonal goods, meant for the winter solstice festival on Monday (Dec 21), are now still stranded at the port.
Frespro Sdn Bhd business development manager Andrew Tay said the congestion problem has persisted for about a month.
Usually, goods can be collected at the port and delivered to their final destination within two days, he said.
"Now, because of the congestion, currently the time needed to retrieve cargo is actually six to seven days," he said.
Tay was speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
As the demand for imported goods is expected to increase before the Chinese New Year celebrations, the government was urged to tackle the problem swiftly.
"Our imports will be doubled or tripled during Chinese New Year.
"If the congestion continues, there will be a huge shortage and this will lead to price increases," said Leong Hock Seng Fresh director Ivan Leong.
As local wholesalers had planned in advance for Chinese New Year, which falls on Feb 12 and 13, Leong added that it is now too late for importers to cancel their orders for the next two months.
Supply shortage may lead to a price hike
Meanwhile, Mydin Malaysia managing director Ameer Ali Mydin estimated that vegetable prices may increase by 20 percent if the port congestion leads to a supply shortage.
"The worst thing is that these are perishable items. They might just be thrown away and someone has to bear the cost.
"If the problem is not managed now, we predict prices will easily go up by 20 percent. If the cost does go up, it has nothing to do with us," Ameer said.
Ameer, who is the Bumiputera Retailers Organisation president and Malaysia Retailers Association vice-president, suggested that the Port Klang Authority opens a "green lane" for perishable goods, especially food products.
He said fresh produce could be sped through checks at the port, compared to other products such as medicine.
"Vegetables, fruits, and seafood are not poisonous like medicine. If anything happened, Mydin or our competitors will be able to identify who are the importers, and (the authorities can) go after them," he said.
He added that the supply chain of essential goods and food security are important issues that the government could not afford to mismanage.
Ameer suggested that the government engages with stakeholders for their opinions and also enhances port efficiency by increasing workforce and resources.
In March 2020, containers were stacking up at Port Klang due to the unclear policy on the delivery of non-essential goods when the movement control order (MCO) was first implemented.
On March 29, Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said a standard operating procedure for the port clearing process was implemented to ensure the efficient delivery of essential goods imported for Malaysians. - Mkini
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