If you haven’t started on your New Year’s resolution to start dieting and eating healthier, well… you’re in luck!
You now have one more reason to add to your long list of reasons why “tomorrow” is the best time to start.
Who knew greens could become so expensive?
Singapore has always relied on Malaysia for a good portion of its supply of fresh vegetables and this supply has seen a slowdown in recent days, resulting in a spike in prices.
To prove this, The Straits Times did some investigating of their own.
They visited nine wet markets around the Red Dot, namely Teck Whye Market, Fajar Market, Bukit Gombak Wet Market, Tekka Market, Teck Ghee Court Market and Food Centre, Ghim Moh Wet Market, Toa Payoh West Market and Food Centre, Chinatown Complex Market and Food Centre, and Clementi 448 Market and Food Centre.
They discovered that the price of tomatoes in these wet markets has soared to a whopping S$3 per kg.
For people who don’t do their own grocery shopping, that’s double the normal price, folks!
The prices of staple greens like cabbage and lettuce have gone up as well since they are mostly supplied by Malaysian farms.
What’s the cause?
When asked, some vegetable sellers said that the third round of COVID-19 lockdown caused the supply disruption, while others attributed it to the wet weather.
However, it doesn’t seem like anyone at the wet market is any the wiser as to why the supply of vegetables has actually dropped.
Teck Whye Market vegetable stall owner, 37-year-old Mr Liew Yong Lin, said that fewer workers that are able to work due to the third total lockdown may have contributed to the price increase.
This isn’t the case for 65-year-old Mr Yan Yong Hu, who operates a vegetable stall at Chinatown Complex Market and Food Centre.
According to him, the stricter temperature screenings at the border has affected his supply of fresh vegetables from the neighbouring country.
He said in Mandarin, “If truck drivers delivering supplies do not pass temperature screenings, they have to turn around.”
A vegetable stall owner at Clementi wet market, 42-year-old Mr Mic Ng, believed that the “unfavourable” weather has caused a slowdown of his vegetable supply from Malaysia.
Supply of fresh produce to supermarkets not affected
Unlike the uncles and aunties at the wet market selling vegetables, supermarkets like FairPrice and Sheng Siong can afford to diversify the sources of their supply chains.
This allows them to keep the supply and, hence, the prices of their fresh produce, as well as poultry and eggs, stable.
A spokesperson from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) also commented on the issue, stating that the agency uses a multi-pronged strategy to ensure that the steady supply of food to the country isn’t disrupted.
This includes strategies like import diversification, – did you know that Singapore imports food from over 170 countries? – local production and stockpiling.
But of course, the officials in charge will be keeping a close eye on the issue and ensure that food prices stay stable.
So, all in all, don’t worry!
Unlike toilet paper, you don’t have to start stockpiling veggies for the month… just kidding, you don’t have to stockpile toilet paper either – there’s enough for everyone *taps finger on nose*
Featured Image: Ronnie Chua/ Shutterstock.com
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