PORT KLANG: There may be a shortage of mandarin oranges from China as local traders have imported only 35,000 tonnes of the fruit this year, said Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek.
"We will wait until next week to see if there are any new consignments coming in to increase the supply we have currently," added Ahmad Shabery.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting a mandarin orange consignment with Customs Department officers, Ahmad Shabery said that local traders imported 56,000 tonnes of oranges from China last year.
He was commenting on recent complaints that there was a price increase of RM1 to RM2 per box.
A box of mandarin oranges is currently priced between RM18 to RM25 depending on the size and grade of the fruits.
"It is just a little bit more expensive than previous years, but it is not too high and it is still affordable," he said.
Ahmad Shabery added that the arrival of more consignments could bring down the retail price of mandarin oranges.
"We are expecting another 12,000 tonnes of mandarin oranges to arrive from China soon," he added.
He added anyone can import any amount of mandarin oranges they wanted from China as there were no restrictions to do so after the required approval permit to bring in the fruit was cancelled by the government in 2015.
He said factors affecting the decrease in supply could also be due to slow production of the fruit in China.
"Perhaps our importers were also bringing in less because they think 56,000 tonnes is too much for us," added Ahmad Shabery.
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