IPOH, Jan 27 — The prices of vegetables grown in Cameron Highlands may be expensive now but will likely drop after the Chinese New Year festivities next month… weather permitting.
Cameron Highlands Farming Operators association chairman Ng Tien Khuan said the current prices that have doubled is due to high demand compounded by a 30 per cent drop in production caused by labour shortage and the rainy season.
“Vegetables planted outdoors like cabbage and French beans die if they don't get enough sunlight. Indoor vegetables like tomatoes and kailan survive but they grow much slower.
“Either way, production drops but this could change if the weather improves,” he told Malay Mail when contacted yesterday.
He said that past experience has shown that the rainy spell usually lets up later in February, adding that demand for vegetables is also expected to drop slightly after the lunar new year celebration, which will result in cheaper prices.
“Normally near Chinese New Year, we have good weather so this will make production better,” he said
“However, given the recent weather we've seen, it is hard to say how the weather will turn,” Ng added.
Aside from the inclement weather, Cameron Highlands farmers are also dealing with workforce problems, with reports claiming at least a quarter of farms have had their manpower halved.
There are around 2,000 farms in Cameron Highlands, making it one of the country's largest vegetable production centres.
Cameron Highlands Agricultural Cooperative Association representative Wong Seng Yee said the shortage of farmhands affects productivity even more during the rainy season.
“When it rains, the pesticides wash off quickly, and they need to be replaced in order for the vegetables to grow.
“When there are fewerworkers it becomes harder to do this quickly. Productivity drops in terms of quality and quantity,” he explained.
Like Ng, Wong also said that the biggest obstacle for the farmers is the one they can’t control — the weather.
“However, if the weather becomes better, production will go up. There will be fewer people spending heavily on vegetables so demand will go down as well,” he told Malay Mail.
