Veggie prices in Johor rise with floodwaters in Pahang

JOHOR BARU: Vegetable prices in the state have shot up in the last week as floods in Pahang have affected production, especially in Kuala Rompin.

Johor Baru Vegetables Distributors and Suppliers Association chairman Yeo Hang Pin said the prices had risen by between 50% and 100% compared to last week.

He said cucumbers, red chillies, long beans and brinjals had doubled in price per kilo since the floods worsened in Pahang on Monday.

Cucumbers now cost between RM1.40 and RM1.50 compared to the 70 sen per kilo last week. Chillies now cost RM7 from RM4 while long beans are priced at RM3.50 from RM2.

“The supply to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur is affected as well due to lower production during the monsoon period,” he said yesterday.

Usually Kuala Lumpur buyers will turn to Kuala Rompin for 3,000 baskets of vegetables a day. However, due to the drop in production, they are now turning to Johor.

“The suppliers in Singapore will offer a higher price to buy the fresh vegetables from our side, causing the price of vegetables to shoot up,” he added.

Meanwhile, 30% of stage bus services had to be cancelled due to the floods in Pahang, Terengganu, Johor and Kelantan, said Pan Malaysia Bus Operators Association president Datuk Mohamad Ashfar Ali, citing inter-state buses’ structural design as an advantage.

“The traditional inter-state buses have higher platforms and have little problem going through flooded waters. The same cannot be said for stage buses, such as RapidKL, which have lower platforms,” he said.