IPOH: Despite the lack of workers to harvest mandarin oranges in China due to a surge in Covid-19 cases, wholesalers here received their shipments on time.
Sin Lee Fruits owner Alice Tan said she ordered eight containers of the fruit, the bulk of which had arrived in batches since the first week of last month.
"One container has over 6,000 fruits," she added.
Tan revealed that a box of 40 mandarin oranges is priced at RM80, almost the same price as last year.
"No matter what the situation is, the Chinese custom of giving out mandarin oranges to family members and friends must be continued.
"With the recent inflation spikes, people may buy less, but the fruit is definitely a must-have for Chinese New Year.
"After all, the festival is only held once a year," she added.
Housewife Amy Leong said she used to buy only the premium fruits, which cost RM60 per box before the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020.
But now, the price for such quality has gone up by RM20 to RM80 per box, she added.
As such, she would only get one box of the premium quality oranges.
"I will get two more boxes that contain 20 fruits each and are priced at RM38 per box and another box of the cheaper ones," said Leong, who is in her 40s.
Wendy Chang, owner of another wholesaler called Green Century Fruits, said she was glad that a container of her premium oranges had arrived.
"I was initially worried that the container would not be delivered on time, but it came last week," she added.
