PETALING JAYA, Oct 26 — Restaurant owners and food sellers are worried their businesses will be disrupted because of the apparent shortage of cooking oil.
If cooking oil runs out, they may have to switch to more costly alternatives — forcing them to raise prices.
Nasi kukus seller Mohd Mahmud, 42, uses between 10kg and 12kg of cooking oil daily. He said a supply disruption would wreak havoc on his business.
“I have enough oil to sustain myself for at least another month. But if this goes on, I may have to use more costly cooking oil,” he said.
Keropok lekor hawker Aziz Tahir, 57, said he uses a 17-packet box of cooking oil daily. Although his regular supplier makes sure at least one box is set aside for him when needed, he now has to pay more for it.
“I just bought this box in the morning for RM44.50. A few months ago it was RM42.50,” he said.
“If my supplier runs out of oil, I might have to start buying the more expensive 5kg oil cans. I don’t think my customers would be happy if they have to pay more than RM2 for the usual five pieces of keropok lekor.”
Mixed rice shop manager Chong Choy, 48, uses a minimum of 30kg of cooking oil daily. He sources the oil directly from the manufacturer.
“The manufacturer have not said anything about a shortage, only that a price increase is inevitable,” he said, adding there have been two increases this year alone, where a 17kg oil can now costs over RM50.
“I can manage if there is a shortage, but a price increase would be bad for business since most patronise my shop for affordable food,” he said.
“The busiest days are workdays or public holidays. I can pull through this upcoming Deepavali, but there is no telling what will happen after that.”
Satay seller Mohd Zain Alias, 63, buys a packet of 1kg cooking oil for RM2.60. Although he has not had to pay more for oil throughout the year, a supply shortage is something he cannot afford.
“I need about 4kg of oil daily and 5kg during weekends or public holidays. A shortage is worrisome enough, but a price increase is a bad sign since it usually leads to other ingredients becoming more expensive as well,” he said.
“I cannot get anything done without cooking oil, from making peanut sauce to glazing the satay. I do not have any alternative to cooking oil yet, so I am hoping the shortage will pass and oil prices remain.”
In contrast, kuey teow seller Ricky Khoo, 52, only needs around 1kg of cooking oil daily. His concern is price increase of essential goods.
“If the price of cooking oil goes up, so will everything else. Recently, when I increased prices by 20 sen, my regular customers complained. I suppose there is nothing to be done but make sure I have enough of everything,” he said.
Indian restaurant owner Thungavanam Subramaniam, 60, echoed Khoo’s sentiments, saying her patrons were unhappy when she increased her prices by 50 sen last month.
“I need at least 7kg of cooking oil to keep up with daily demands,” she said.
“My husband usually buys the oil and he has not mentioned anything about a shortage so far. But if what I have been hearing about oil shortage is true, then Deepavali is going to be tough to celebrate as we need to be thrifty,” she said.
