RAMADAN bazaars are attracting large crowds in Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Terengganu, despite a hike in food prices due to the rising cost of raw materials, said traders.

They said sales are back to pre-pandemic days, when goods were sold out as soon as the fasting month started.

Though some traders have increased their prices, it has not stopped shoppers from coming in droves to the bazaars.

Federal Territory Malay Hawkers and Petty Traders Association secretary-general Sharin Darus said Covid-19 rule relaxations have made the bazaars lively again.

“When the standard operating procedures (SOP) were relaxed, people started coming because they do not have to worry about enforcement, and we can open more stalls.

“On behalf of the association, we still monitor and ensure the SOP is followed.”

The association offered 120 stalls at the Jalan Raja Alang bazaar in Kuala Lumpur this year – one of the oldest bazaars in the country, established in 1960.

Sharin said the association offered only 70 stalls last year as members had to adhere to SOP set by the National Security Council.

On the hike in food prices, he said this is not an issue as the association told traders to not raise their prices too high.

“Our association has set the condition that traders cannot increase their price too much. If they do increase, it must be acceptable to buyers.

“Based on our survey, most traders are still sticking to the old prices, while some have increased theirs but are still acceptable to customers.”

Ramadan bazaars are allowed to operate without restrictions this year, but there have been cases of traders pushing up food prices.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said it is hard for the government to control the prices of food sold at the bazaars as they are not controlled items.

Putrajaya can monitor only the prices of controlled items such as chicken, eggs and cooking oil, he added.

He also urged traders to not overprice products at Ramadan bazaars.

In Kuala Terengganu, honey chicken trader Abdul Wafi Zainuddin said he was worried about shopper response after increasing the price of his chicken from RM22 to RM27.

However, he added, customers still flocked to his stall and bought all his chickens for two straight days.

“We had to push up the price as chicken costs have gone up due to a hike in raw material prices,” he said at his stall in Dataran Shahbandar.

“We sold a whole chicken for RM22 last year, and increased the price by RM5 this year. We sold 70 chickens in two hours on the first day of fasting alone.”

Flatbread trader Zainal Abdul Wahab, 52, said he did not increase his prices as he was worried people would shun his stall.

He still sells a slice of flatbread at RM1 though the cost of raw materials has increased by 50%.

“I am afraid that if we increase prices, customers will run away. So my family and I decided to keep the price of bread at RM1.

“That is why I have reduced the size of the goods to avoid losses.” – April 6, 2022.