RAMADAN bazaars in the capital city are seeing good traffic but people are spending less compared to last year, the Kuala Lumpur Bumiputra Traders and Hawkers Association (BTHA) said.

Hawkers selling traditional Malay staples said business has dropped 20-40%.

BTHA president Muhamad Baba Kutty said the prices of ingredients have remained high.

“Ingredients are expensive so the traders cannot sell their food cheaply,” Baba told The Malaysian Insight.

BTHA has about 700 members who own stalls at the Ramadan bazaars in the city.

He said shoppers are more selective and careful with their money.

“They are only buying selected items and not a big variety of food. But if the price is good they may buy more.

“Last year, people spent more because the prices were cheaper.

Muhamad said the Desa Pandan bazaar receives more than 2,000 people a day but they don’t have high buying power.

He said hawkers who have not raised their prices have had to trim their portions.

At Desa Pandan, Hafiz Moktar, who sells tepung pelita, said business is not as good as last year’s.

“The crowd is there but people are more cautious in their spending.

“Last year was good because the government gave many incentives for people to spend, such as by allowing them to withdraw from their EPF savings.

“We estimate that business has dropped 20-30%.”

He said he has had to raise the price of a box of tepung pelita from RM4 to RM5 because of higher costs.

Azrul Hisham, who sells fried koay teow, said business had dropped by nearly 50%.

“Last year we could sell up to 150 packets a day, this year we can only manage 60.

“We’ve also had to raise the price of our prawn noodles by RM2 as the price of prawns has gone up.”

Ikan bakar seller Azaidy Othman also complained of less business this year.

“We are seeing a drop of 30-40% in sales. We’ve also had no choice but to raise our food prices.

“It all depends on the fish we buy. Sometimes it is expensive and sometimes it is cheap.

“A set of ikan bakar costs RM10-RM12 depending on the size of the fish. Last year we sold a set at RM8 and could sell about 100 sets a day. This year we are barely scraping 40 sets a day.”

At the Ramadan bazaar in Chow Kit, traders were also concerned about the slow traffic of customers.

Enia Razak, who sells cookies, said there are fewer visitors this year.

“We still have a week to go and we are hoping for a surge in customers.”

She too has had to raise her prices.

“Last year a box of cookies was priced at RM18; this year it’s about RM22.

“We used to get about 100 customers a day but now we get about 70. Business now has dropped by up to 30%.”

Apparel seller Sakamah Jaafar said that it has been a very quiet Ramadan at his stall.

“Last year we sold up to 15 articles of clothing a day. This year we are lucky to sell two. We are seeing very few shoppers.

“Business has been inconsistent, unlike last year. I hope it picks up.” – April 16, 2023.