Z
Zuo Ci
Guest
Monday December 27, 2010
CNY mandarin oranges already on sale
By LEE YUK PENG
[email protected]
PETALING JAYA: Lo kam, a type of mandarin orange, has arrived in the market for the Year of the Rabbit but the buyers are mostly non-Chinese so far.
“Sale of mandarin oranges is slow. Some Malays are buying for weddings and feasts.
The Chinese are not buying yet,’’ said Kuala Lumpur Fruits Wholesale Association chairman Tai Kong Lin.
Orange delight: Juicy lo kam being sold at one of the fruit stalls here.
The mandarin oranges are imported from Fujian Province in China.
Hypermarkets, supermarkets and sundry shops are selling them in small quantity.
Tai, who works from the Selayang wholesale market, said the first consignment of mandarin oranges from China arrived several days ago.
He also said consumers were preparing for the new school year and not Chinese New Year at the moment.
The lo kam this year would be slightly more expensive, Tai said.
The wholesale price for a 4kg pack was selling at RM13 compared with RM10 earlier this year, he said, adding that the 8kg pack was priced at RM25 while it was RM20 previously.
He attributed the price increase to inflation in China and a poor harvest.
Teochew oranges packed in wooden crates were scheduled to arrive within the first week of next month, said Tai.
