The prices of mandarin oranges may increase
this Chinese New Year, but the same may not be said for pineapple
tarts.
The prices of mandarin orange are expected to go up by
20 to 30 per cent, the chairman of the Singapore Fruits and
Vegetables Importers and Exporters Association Tay Khiam Back told
The New Paper.
The price increase is due to the heavy snow in China's
Fujian province and Taiwan, which are still reeling from the
effects of the typhoons in September.
As a result, their supplies of mandarin oranges are
expected to be reduced by as much as half.
Farmers there also predicted that their harvests will
be reduced by 30 per cent.
"The supply of mandarin oranges will not be affected as
Singapore's demand is not big, but the prices will increase," Mr
Tay said.
He added that Singapore also imports mandarin oranges
from Pakistan, Japan, South Korea, Morocco and Europe.
Miss Seah Lay Hoon, who is in charge of sales at
wholesaler Bee Seng Fruit Supply, told TNP she has seen a 20 per
cent increase in the prices of mandarin oranges for the upcoming
season compared with this year's.
"There is short supply in China due to the poor
weather.
"We are also affected by the increase in the US dollar,
as the cost price quoted to us by our Chinese supplier is in US
dollars," she said.
"We are trying to price it so that the impact on the
consumers is not so bad."
Other Chinese New Year goodies, such as pineapple
tarts, however, are not seeing much of an increase in prices.
True Blue Cuisine chef-owner Benjamin Seck told TNP the
prices of his popular pineapple tarts will not increase.
"We import our pineapples from Malaysia.
"We do not see a difference in price although the
Malaysian ringgit has fallen against the Singapore dollar because
the (cost of the) local labour for (turning) the pineapples into
the jam has increased."
A bottle of 12 pieces of True Blue Cuisine's pineapple
tarts will cost $38 next year - the same as this year.
A spokesman for Bakerzin told TNP that its $22.80 price
tag for 18 pieces of pineapple tarts is not expected to
increase.
Owner of D'pastry, Mrs Cynthia Koh, said that while the
price of pineapples has not increased, the costs of other raw
materials have.
As a result, it will have a "slight increase" in the
prices of its pineapple tarts next year.
TNP