Traders trying to sell last few festive fruits as demand plummets after CNY
PETALING JAYA: Now that the 15-day Chinese New Year celebration is over, prices of mandarin oranges are nose-diving, with some traders selling them for as low as RM2 a box.
Going by estimates from wholesalers, there are at least two shipping containers-worth, or more than 10,000 boxes, still in storage.
Kuala Lumpur Fruits Wholesalers’ Association president Chin Nyuk Moy said that these oranges, which were earlier sold for about RM35 per 4kg box, are now being sold for between RM5 and RM10.
Certain batches are sold at half price or even lower just for clearance, she said.
However, Chin cautioned that consumers buying them at heavily discounted prices of around RM1 to RM2 per box will have to accept risks.
“Before Chinese New Year, customers were usually allowed to open the box to check the quality of the oranges and get replacements for any spoiled fruit,” she said.
However, quality checks or replacements are unlikely to be permitted for oranges sold at rock-bottom prices.
Chin acknowledged that the market has seen an oversupply, particularly of Yongchun mandarins from China.
She estimated that about two containers, or more than 10,000 boxes, are still being kept in cold storage, while some wholesalers have been left with several hundred boxes.
“We have asked the importers in Kuala Lumpur and southern Malaysia. The unsold stock could total around 20,000 boxes, although the exact figure is difficult to determine,” she said when contacted.
Although there have been reports of unsold stock, Chin said not all importers are facing the same problem as some of them can still sell to regular clients.
Chin observed that the overall demand for mandarin oranges had declined slightly this year.
“Previously, people would buy mandarin oranges by the box when they visited relatives during the festive season. But now, they purchase only just a few oranges, or smaller gift packs containing 10 fruits,” she said.
Importer Tee Liang Kwok said shipments originally meant for Indonesia and the Philippines were redirected to Malaysia this year.
He explained that during Ramadan, demand from Indonesia usually drops, resulting in fewer imports there.
However, he said the overall volume of leftover mandarins is not large, as many importers and sellers have been clearing their stock at lower prices.
“Some batches have been discarded while others are being sold cheaply at about RM3 to RM5 per 4kg box to clear the remaining stock,” he said.
According to Tee, a typical container carries about 25 tonnes of mandarins.
Given the situation this year, he said importers are expected to be more cautious with their orders next year.
A mandarin orange seller who wished to be known only as Lim said sales have been slower this year as consumers are buying less.
“In previous years, we would be able to sell off the oranges during the Chinese New Year period. But this time, I had 100 boxes left,” he said.
Lim subsequently cleared all the remaining stock by offering a “buy-one-free-one” promotion.
“I am grateful to have managed to sell them all in the end.”
