PETALING JAYA: In markets where every sen counts, dumpling sellers are keeping prices steady to ensure the age-old tradition remains affordable for consumers marking the Dragon Boat Festival.
Faced with the rising costs of key ingredients used in the glutinous rice dumplings, such as shallots and dried shrimps, traders are quietly absorbing increases rather than passing them on to customers.
Among them is Beh Bak Chuan, 61, who runs a stall at a local market.
He said business has increased nearly five-fold as more people purchase the dumplings for prayers and family gatherings ahead of the festival.
“My wife makes up to 500 dumplings daily during the festive season, compared with slightly over 100 pieces on regular days.
“Our prices have remained the same for the past two years. The last increase was just 50 sen per dumpling.”
He said pork prices have remained relatively stable as long-term sourcing arrangements have helped keep costs under control.
“The economy is not doing very well, so I continue selling at the same price to keep the dumplings affordable for my customers,” he added.
Pork dumplings are usually priced between RM7 and RM13. Among the popular varieties are salted egg yolk with mushroom, black-eyed pea with mung bean and Nyonya-style dumplings.
Choo Saa Liong, 75, who has been in the business for more than 30 years, said he has not raised prices since the Covid-19 pandemic.
“If I raise prices, I may earn more, but sales could drop. The most important thing is to keep customers coming back. If customers don’t buy after prices go up, then there’s no point.”
He said business was slow at first but orders have picked up as the festival draws nearer.
He also observed changing consumer preferences, with some seeking healthier alternatives. To cater to this niche market, he has replaced glutinous rice with Japanese rice or white rice in selected varieties.
However, he said traditional dumplings remain the top sellers.
A home-based dumpling maker, who only wished to be known as Ling, said she had received about 1,000 orders since pre-orders opened in mid-May.
Offering halal Nyonya- and Hokkien-style dumplings, she said shallots and dried shrimps had seen the steepest price increases, while the supply and quality of dried shrimps have also declined.
She said she tries to keep prices unchanged whenever possible to retain her regular customers.
The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Lunar calendar.
This year, the festival will be celebrated tomorrow in honour of Qu Yuan from the Warring States period (475–221 BC).
Legend has it that the Chinese poet and statesman drowned himself in the Miluo River in protest against corruption.
Villagers paddled out in boats in a bid to rescue him and threw rice parcels into the water to keep fish from eating his body, giving rise to the traditions of dragon boat racing and eating dumplings.
