'Traders forced to raise prices due to high supplier costs'

JOHOR BAHRU - Traders in Johor Bahru are forced to raise the prices of goods such as shallots, garlic, and dried chilli because they have to buy them from suppliers at high prices.

For trader Mohd Nur Fitri Rosli, 27, if previously, a sack of shallots could be obtained for RM18 to RM20, but now it has risen to as much as RM30.

"The most expensive it used to be was RM25. Now it has reached RM30, which is really high," he said.

Another trader, Asiah Ibrahim, is 68 years old. She says that the prices of goods have been rising very quickly lately.

"A sack of dried chilli weighing 10 kilogrammes now costs RM230.

"In the past, you could get it for only RM88, even for a small sack," she said.