KUALA LUMPUR: With just two days left until Chinese New Year celebrations, orange sellers are struggling to clear their stock despite offering lower prices.
A report on FMT revealed that orange sellers are facing losses due to reduced sales of the auspicious fruit, compared to previous years.
One such seller, Lau Ming Hui, 58, from Bukit Jalil, reported a 10 to 20 per cent reduction in Mandarin orange sales this year.
He mentioned that this year's import of Mandarin oranges from Mainland China had been promising due to better weather conditions and fruit output compared to last year.
"Despite pricing XL oranges at RM30 instead of the usual RM40, sales remain very low. Although fruit quality is better, demand has dropped by about 40 percent. Purchases from corporate companies and businesses have also decreased significantly. If this situation continues, I will have no choice but to sell at a much lower price to clear the stock," he said.
Another seller from Kota Damansara, known as Tan, 46, echoed Lau's sentiment, attributing reduced sales to people being more financially cautious amidst the economic downturn.
"Economy is not good. Business was much better before," he added.
Meanwhile, Cheng Boon Teng, 44, a customer interviewed by FMT, said she only bought one box of oranges for the prayer ceremony, opting to save money for the New Year's Eve dinner as food prices are high.
Lim, a corporate company owner, mentioned that he bought only 25 boxes of oranges this year to distribute to staff and customers, down from 40 boxes last year.
