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KOTA BHARU - Restaurant operators are forced to replace sugar with condensed milk in beverages sold at their premises due to difficulty in getting hold of sugar supply.
A trader, Noraini, 54, said she had to use condensed milk as subsitute for sugar for the past two days.
"I had to and luckily the customers were understanding.
"If we were to close the shop then it would be a loss since we have only opened for a few days after Hari Raya," she said.
She hoped that the matter would not drag on as sugar was one of the main ingredients for the food at her restaurant.
Sinar Harian's survey in several retail stores, wholesalers and supermarkets in several areas in the state found that the shelves of the raw materials were empty.
A grocery shop owner in Pasir Puteh, Hasnah, 43, said she was tired of going to wholesale shops and supermarkets since last Saturday and still came back empty-handed.
"It's the season where people hold open houses, so sugar iwas something that people needed.
"As a trader, I tried various ways to get supplies but it didn't work out," she said.
Government retiree Mustapa Hassan, 67, said he had to serve carbonated drinks to his guests during his Hari Raya open house at Pasir Mas.
"I went to several supermarkets but there is still no sugar.
"If the problem persists, it will not only make it difficult for consumers but also traders," he said.