Lokam prices up by 40%

Quality control: (From right) Bryan Wong, Sunshine Wholesale Mart director Yee Kam Ming and senior manager Wong Sai Keong inspecting the first shipment of lokam in Bandar Baru Ayer Itam.

GEORGE TOWN: The joyous arrival of almost 10,000 mandarin oranges – a must-have for Chinese New Year – is slightly tempered by the retail price, which will be up by as much as 40%, no thanks to the disruption to the global logistics chain.

“The upside is that people can expect the mandarin oranges, locally called lokam, to be sweeter this season, owing to less rainfall across farmlands in China,” said Sunshine Wholesale Mart marketing and communication manager Bryan Wong.