Several food hawkers selling some of Malaysians’ favourite snacks – such as pisang goreng, keropok lekor, and fried chicken – have had to mark up the prices of their wares by RM0.50 to RM1.00. This is as they struggle with the rising cost of the ingredients. 

Owner of pisang goreng and keropok lekor stall in Pantai Dalam, Zumara Zakaria said that he has had to raise the prices of the snacks to cope with the increased price of cooking oil. He explained that this is because the 5kg oil he uses for his business is now priced at RM42.50. 

“I was astonished as I use bottled cooking oil at my stall. I have to continue using the same brand and have to dig deeper into my pockets,” he stated, adding that he now has to sell his pisang goreng at RM3.00 for five pieces, as compared to RM2.00 previously. Meanwhile, his keropok lekor is now sold at RM2.00 for five pieces instead of RM1.00 for three.

“Then there is the cost of the Johor-style sambal kicap I have to factor in. The price of chillies has gone up by RM10.00 a kilogramme to RM30.00. It used to be RM20.00 a kilogramme,” Zumara also shared. He said that the price of plastic packaging has also gone up. 

If things were to get worse, Zumara remarked that he may try to reduce the cost by switching over to the 1kg polybag cooking oil. However, that comes with its own set of challenges too, as polybag cooking oil is often low in supply at supermarkets and grocery stores. In such a situation, he may still have to purchase bottled cooking oil to continue his business. 

Similarly, owner of fried chicken stall in Kajang, Nurul Huda Aras Hasan said that she, too, has had to increase the price of her jumbo-sized fried chicken and chicken sausage by RM0.50 – now selling at RM9.00 and RM4.00, respectively. The increase is inevitable as the costs of chicken and cooking oil have shot up. The prices of seasoning, cheese sauces, skewers, and plastic packaging have also risen, she added. 

“I need to take care of my customers, too. Raising it by RM1.00 is too much. I feel RM0.50 is all right, but even that was questioned,” Nurul Huda further said, noting that the increase is still lower than the price increases by other stalls. 

“So far, my business is okay. It has gone down a little, but it is still manageable,” Nurul Huda further said, adding that she also surveys ingredient prices at various supermarkets to secure the lowest prices.

To note, the government has recently removed the subsidies for bottled cooking oil (2kg, 3kg, and 5kg), and increased the ceiling price of standard chicken from RM8.90 to RM9.40 per kg. These changes took effect starting from 1 July 2022. 

(Source: New Straits Times)

• TAGS:
• Bottled Cooking Oil
• Bottled Cooking Oil Price
• Bottled Cooking Oil Subsidies
• Chicken Ceiling Price
• Chicken Price
• Fried Chicken
• Keropok Lekor
• Pisang Goreng