‘They’re even charging us for curry leaves’

PETALING JAYA: The rising cost of ingredients has made it difficult for Indian restaurants to maintain affordable food prices, says the Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association (Primas).

Its president J. Suresh said many Indian restaurants were caught in a quandary as price hikes in their menus would turn away customers from the B40 income group.

“This has left many with no choice but to close down,” he said when met on the sidelines of the Primas annual general assembly in Jalan Templer here yesterday.

Primas deputy president RC Krishnan noted that the price of vegetables had skyrocketed – ladies’ fingers (okra), which used to cost RM3 per kg several years ago, now costs RM8.

“The same goes for eggs, which are hard to get now. Additionally, the price of wheat flour is high.

“Chicken now costs more than RM10 per kg,” he said.

Traders were even charging for curry leaves, which they used to give away for free, he added.

“When we buy ingredients at the night market, we would ask for curry leaves and they used to just give it to us free of charge.

“But now, curry leaves cost almost RM25 per kg,” he said, adding that many restaurants under Primas were suffering because of this.

According to the Statistics Department, Malaysia’s consumer price index rose 4% in November with food prices rising 7.3%, which remained the main contributor to inflation.

Food prices at restaurants and hotels went up 7% in November against October’s 6.8%.

Four states recorded increases above the national inflation level of 4%, namely Putrajaya (7.9%), Selangor (4.8%), Sarawak (4.7%) and Johor (4.2%).