Flood aftermath: RM23 for a plate of rice in Tanah Merah

RM23 for a plate of rice with fried mackerel and long beans, and a glass of hot tea -- shocking, but that was the amount a patron, who wished to be identified only as Azmi, paid for his lunch at a shop in Tanah Merah town yesterday.

He said it was almost five-folds the normal price, adding that the normal for such a meal was about RM5 only.

"I was shocked and asked the trader the reason for the costly lunch and he said it is because of problems getting the raw materials.

"I understand and can accept the reason, but maintain at a reasonable price," he added.

A check by Bernama in the area found only a few food shops have opened for operation following the recent floods which inundated the town.

The Tanah Merah market is also now opened for operation and is crowded, with housewives getting their supply of fresh food.

Housewife Rahaya Samsudin, 47, said there was, however, not many things yet in the market, and the price for most of the items was slightly high.

She said the price of chicken was almost RM8 per kilogramme.

"With the high price of good, it is a burden for us as we also need to spend in cleaning the house and buy other necessities," she added.

Some quarters are seen making lucrative business selling petrol and diesel in bottles as the recent floods had caused many vehicles to be stranded due to shortage of fuel.

This business can be found on roadside between Pasir Mas and Tanah Merah. A trader, who declined to be named, said the price for a 1.5 litre bottle of petrol was RM15.

The current price for RON95 is RM1.91 per litre, while RON97 is RM2.11 per litre.