DEMAND for face masks has skyrocketed following the Covid-19 outbreak, with the cost of importing them shooting up to 10 times more, said local producers and suppliers.

The situation is worsened by the fact that China, the world’s largest producer, has stopped exporting face masks to cater to local demands, they said.

This has led to a major lack of supply.

Local mask supplier Safetyware Group’s managing director Wong Kee Wei told The Malaysian Insight that demand for face masks actually reached a historic high even before the virus outbreak.

“The supply from local mask manufacturers is definitely not enough to cope with demand. There are only a handful of masks manufacturer in Malaysia and the overall output is small when compared to the demand,” said Wong.

There is a global shortage of masks, as retailers can’t get new stock, he said.

“This is due to China being a major mask supplier in the world and manufacturers there are banned from exporting masks due to big local demand. Other mask producers, such as Taiwan, have also taken the same measure, banning the export of masks.”

Malaysia on March 5 stopped face mask exports to meet domestic demands.

Wong said mask prices are also now wildly different, according to the region, and local suppliers are having a hard time importing new stock.

“The international price for three-ply masks have gone up between 20 and 40 times and the price for N95 masks have also spiked from eight to 10 times.”

Wong reiterated that there is not enough supply to meet demand globally and prices may keep increasing.

“Under the current situation, it is very difficult to get any supply from mainstream masks manufacturers.

“Those suppliers still able to sell, their price is so high it’s no longer viable to import any.” – March 10, 2020.