Mandarin Orange Prices May Increase 20% This Year; Time To 拜年 With Sunkist

Chinese New Year 2017 is just around the corner and though, we hope for good things in the new year, news for a certain must-have is looking less dandy. Contributing to a pretty large purchase of imports, Singapore is reported to have imported around 19,000 tonnes of mandarin oranges a year for the past 3 years.

While welcoming the Year of the Rooster, many people would have to welcome the estimation that they’ll probably have to pay 20% more for Mandarin oranges this year. Due to the level of supply and demand and fluctuating economy, supermarkets including Cold Storage and FairPrice are trying their best to agree on a price closest to last year’s levels with suppliers.

While Mr Kelvin Ong, Cold Storage’s category manager of fruits is in discussion with suppliers, he said that the estimated prices were to increase by 10 to 15% due to the 20% decrease in fruit supplies caused by the Typhoon Megi which hit Taiwan in September and frost in China in January.

Vice President of Singapore Fruits and Vegetables Importers and Exporters Association, Tan Chin Hian, said that the stronger American dollar was another reason why the prices were increasing, as transactions for the fruit was done in US dollars.

Adding to his point, Mr Tan mention that as 2017’s Chinese New Year falls at the end of January (28 Jan), demand is bad due to the weaker buying power as families prepare for the new school year by spending money on items such as school uniforms, resulting in a fall in demand. 

 Getting its mandarin oranges from mainland China, Taiwan, Pakistan, Japan and South Korea, with the largest source from Hubei Province, China, some consumers remain firm on their usual purchase of mandarin oranges yearly, even if prices increase. 

Coming in varieties of ponkan, lukan and swatow mandarin oranges, the fruit is associated with prosperity as its name sounds like “luck” in Mandarin. A teacher, Low Kit Ping, 50, said that purchasing 1 to 2 cartons of mandarin oranges yearly for Chinese New Year is very important to her family. Costing about $22 per carton of 48 oranges this year, an increase of not more than $10 would still be acceptable to her.

Another consumer, a housewife, Ng Chen Woon, 48, finds the price increase acceptable as well. She commented, “We will definitely be buying because it’s an expectation that people will want to give oranges”, “I will still need them for the older generation’s sake.”  

Isn’t it a wonderful thing to see how traditions stay strong no matter what? 

Featured Image: The Straits Times
This article was first published on goodyfeed.com.