Price crunch: Safiq preparing nasi lemak with his workers at his stall on Lebuh Pantai in Penang. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star.
GEORGE TOWN: Food stall owners who require santan in their cooking are telling themselves to “hang in there” amid the scarcity of coconuts and rising prices.
Since late October, the price of santan has been increasing weekly, going up from RM10.50 to RM14 per kg, said nasi lemak seller Safiq Mansor.
He uses 15kg of santan daily to cook 70 to 80kg of rice.
“I prepare over 1,000 packets of nasi lemak daily, which helps spread out the costs,” said Safiq, 24.
For now, he has managed to maintain the price of his nasi lemak.
“Despite the higher expenses, I am keeping the price at RM3 per packet,” he said.
“It is a smaller profit margin, though,” said Safiq, who runs a stall on Lebuh Pantai.
According to reports, coconut traders in the country have been experiencing a supply shortage since October. The lower production is said to be due to the constant rainfall.
Faizan Ali, the third-generation owner of Nasi Kandar Imigresen, is keeping prices steady, at least for now.
He uses about 2kg of santan for his chicken and fish curries.
Faizan, 36, said the price has surged by 20%, from RM12 to RM15 per kg in just a week.
“For now, I can absorb the extra cost and keep the same prices for our loyal customers.
“But I can’t hold out much longer. Besides santan, the prices of other ingredients like rice, okra, onions and cabbage have nearly doubled in the past two months.
“Next year, I’m certain that prices for nasi kandar and other dishes in other places will rise as well,” said Faizan when met in Lorong Pasar.
Joez Coconut director Joel Jeyachandran, 39, who supplies a variety of coconut products, including santan, said prices have risen by nearly 20% since early November due to poor harvests.
He said the price of santan went up from RM10 to RM12 per kg and grated coconut to RM10 per kg from RM8 per kg.
He said the cost of coconuts imported from Indonesia had surged by almost 50%.
“This is the season when coconut and santan prices are typically high.
“In my 20 years in the business, this happens every five years,” said Joel.
