KOTA KINABALU: The prevailing bad weather conditions over the past several days have taken a toll on the supply of fish and vegetables in the city here and other towns in the suburban areas of the west coast.
A survey by the Borneo Post at Kota Kinabalu’s central market and fish market as well as the markets in Putatan, Penampang, Inanam, Menggatal and Telipok yesterday revealed a big drop in the supply of fish and fresh vegetables.
Due to the shortage, the prices of fish and vegetables have been increased by fish vendors and vegetable sellers because suppliers have also marked up their wholesale price.
At the wet market in Kota Kinabalu, the price of fish has soared, for instance ikan basung was sold at RM7 per kilo from the previous price of RM6, ikan siakap was sold at RM18 per kilo up from RM16 and ikan batu from RM15 to RM17 per kilo.
Vendor Malyn Omar said that weather was the main factor for the price increase.
She said the supply of fish from Sabah Fish Marketing Sdn Bhd (SAFMA) had dropped since the bad weather prevented fishermen here from going out to sea, especially the small-time boat operators.
Another vendor, who declined to be named, said that the weather and the recent fuel price hike forced her to increase her price.
At the central market in Kota Kinabalu, housewife Rosmawati Abdullah @ Roseupong, when asked about the prices of vegetables, said that kailan had increased from RM1 to RM2 a bunch.
“The price is expensive. Four stalks of kailan used to be RM1 but now it has increased to RM2. But we are forced to buy it anyway because it is an essential daily item,” she said.
One of the stall operators, Hasnah Hj Sidek said she was forced to raise the price because the suppliers had also marked up the wholesale price for fresh vegetables.
She said previously the price of chili padi was RM5-6 per kilo but now suppliers had increased the wholesale price to RM28 per kilo, which prompted her to sell it at RM35 per kilo.
“The wholesale price of ginger has increased to RM12 per kilo so I have to sell it at RM14 per kilo. The wholesale price of cabbage was increased to RM2.50 per kilo so I have to sell it at RM3 per kilo,” said Hasnah.
In Penampang, most of the stalls at the wet market were empty leaving only a few vendors operating there yesterday.
When asked about the supply, fish from suppliers had dropped due to the bad weather while most of the consumers here had been affected by the recent flood that submerged Donggongon township.
A vendor there had increased the price of ikan basung to RM8 from RM6 per kilo.
Meanwhile the wholesale price of vegetables such as brinjal has gone up from RM4 to RM7 per bag, cucumber from RM5 to RM9 per bag, and green beans from RM7 to RM10 per bag.
“The increase in prices of vegetables is due to no supply from local vegetable planters who have been affected by the flood.
“Suppliers from Keningau and Tambunan were unable to come down because the road to the city had collapsed due to the landslide. Some of them had to take alternative roads which took them longer and by the time they reach here most of the vegetables have either been damaged by the weather or started rotting,” said vegetable hawker Petrus Wong.
In Putatan, the prices of fish at the wet market, such as ikan basung had increased from RM6 to RM8 per kilo, ikan putih from RM15 to RM17 per kilo and ikan kerisi RM5 to RM6 per kilo.