Monsoon deluge pushes vegetable prices up by more than half

PERSISTENT downpours over the past several days have severely disrupted vegetable supply from local farmers and wholesalers in Kuantan, driving prices up by an estimated 55 per cent as markets struggle to cope with shortages.

A survey at several farmers’ markets found sharp increases in the price of essentials such as okra, long beans, aubergine, tomatoes, bird’s eye chillies, mustard greens and water spinach compared with the previous week.

Trader Zainal Muhammad, 51, said price spikes were a predictable consequence of the monsoon season.

“When it rains, many vegetable plots are flooded and damaged, and that is why prices go up,” he told Sinar Harian. “As of today, okra and aubergine are the most expensive at around RM9 per kilo, while water spinach and mustard greens have reached RM7 per kilo.”

Zainal, who has been in the business for 22 years, explained that although prices have risen, traders were adjusting packaging sizes to keep vegetables accessible to customers.

“I sell in smaller quantities — about 300 grams per pack for RM2.50 to RM3,” he said. “This way, customers can still buy, and we still make a profit, even if it’s not much.”

Another trader, Yusri Yaakob, 52, said nearly all varieties of vegetables had increased by between RM5 and RM8 per kilogram, a trend he expects to continue until year’s end.

“For example, tomatoes have gone up from RM4 to RM7 or RM8 per kilo, while Vietnamese chillies have risen from RM18 to RM22 per box,” he said.

Yusri noted that customer traffic had thinned due to the heavy rain, though sales had improved slightly this week.

“If the weather is clear, the response is good, but when it rains, it’s difficult. Last week it rained all day, and we could practically count how many people came in,” he said.

Another seller, Muhaini Muhammad, 50, said the greatest challenge now was the scarcity of supply.

“Sometimes we only get a small amount of stock because the farms are flooded and crops mature more slowly,” she said.

“This forces us to limit our packaging sizes so that more customers can still buy.” - November 30, 2025