Price hike for bananas and papaya since early Ramadan

The price of bananas and papaya at the Batu Lanchang market have soared since early Ramadan.

Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) education officer N.V. Subbarow said the price of 'pisang abu' had risen from RM3.50 per kg to RM6 per kg, while the price of papaya, from RM3 per kg to RM4 per kg.

"CAP has conducted continuous monitoring on the fruit prices and was shocked over this finding," he told Bernama when met at the market on Saturday.

Subbarow said the hike in the prices of fruits was an example of consumer exploitation and that the government should take an effort to control the price of local fruits.

"The government, especially the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism, needs to control the price of fruits as well as chicken and meat as they are crucial in keeping a balanced diet," he said.

He also urged traders to buy directly from farmers to avoid extreme price hikes imposed by wholesalers or middlemen.