Consumers told to brace for higher prices

 

Photo: AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star

JOHOR BARU: Consumers can expect more expensive fruits and vegetables in the coming weeks because of the floods in Johor, which have left many farms submerged.

The Federation of Vegetable Farmers Association secretary-general Chay Ee Mong said unstable prices could prolong until May as farmers needed time to rebuild their farms after floods recede.

“Johor delivers about one-third of the people’s vegetable consumption.

“Many vegetable plots either went underwater or were washed away by the floods, which started about a week ago, and this is expected to cause at least a 30% drop in vegetable supply in the market.

“Most, if not all, of the vegetables affected by the floods will have to be tossed out and replanted. And this takes time.

“Farms that have had their soil completely washed away will have to start from scratch, which could take up to two months before crops can be harvested,” he told The Star.

He said leafy greens such as spinach, kangkung, sawi and spring onions would usually take around 30 days to harvest, while crops such as tomatoes and chillies could take about 70 to 80 days to bear fruit.

With areas such as Yong Peng in Batu Pahat not seeing much improvement in the flood situation, Chay said farmers would have to look to other suppliers in Cameron Highlands and Pahang to fill the gap.

“At this point, it is difficult to calculate the losses incurred by the vegetable farmers as their losses are not only limited to their crops but also their farming equipment, fertilisers, pesticides as well as workers’ dormitories,” he added.

Fruit farmers hit by the ongoing floods will need to take an even longer time to recover, according to Federation of Malaysian Fruit Farmers Association president Datuk Lawrence Ting Siew Haw.

He said by land size, Johor was the largest fruit producer in the country, with many farms located in Segamat, Batu Pahat, Muar and Kluang. These are the places that were most affected by the floods.

“We are worried as the large amount of rain and murky water can affect the flowering process and the growth of fruits.

“Fruits take longer to grow, with some trees needing six months to a year to bear fruit.

“The supply of fruits such as watermelon, coconut, banana, papaya and guava is expected to drop,” he said, adding that fruits for the export market, such as durian, nangka and pineapple, were also affected as well.

Farmers in the state are calculating their losses, which could range from hundreds of thousands to RM1mil, depending on the size of their operations, he said.

Ting hoped the government, through the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry, could look into easing some of the farmers’ burden as the floods had also struck a blow to the nation’s food security.

Last Wednesday, rapidly rising waters in Segamat forced people to flee to their rooftops while waiting to be evacuated.

Since then, Johor has been experiencing widespread flooding as a result of torrential rains, with almost 50,000 people forced from their homes.

The situation in Segamat has since improved, but Batu Pahat ranks the highest in the number of recorded evacuees as of yesterday. - Star