New Post: The only time we don't want flour to rise

After a quick poll of family, friends and colleagues, I have come to realise that a lot of people, or at least the people I interact with, tend to rank “lose weight” as one of the top New Year’s resolutions made each year.

Me included.

Well, it seems the bid to lead a healthier lifestyle may be easier to stick to this year, especially during the (marathon-eating) Lunar New Year season.

Prices of Chinese New Year goodies imported from Malaysia have increased, owing largely to a whopping 45% increase in the price of flour from Malaysia.

In turn, supermarket chain Sheng Siong upped the prices of its Malaysia-imported New Year goodies by 10-20%, and is offering promotional prices to offset half of the price increase.

NTUC too, have said they intend to raise the prices of their Malaysia-imported goodies by about 20%. New Year goodies from Malaysia make up about 60% of all Lunar New Year products in their stores, NTUC said.

Prices of Indonesian-imported goodies, on the other hand, are not affected by the price increase.

Not just the Lunar New Year, but prices of flour-based products will be on the rise in the coming months should the price of flour from Malaysia stay on its upward trajectory. Coupled with rising oil prices, procurement managers in liaison with flour suppliers across the causeway may begin flexing their negotiating muscles to strike a better deal and keep their margins in check… or looking elsewhere.

Leftover turkey for Lunar New Year, anyone? It’s healthy, you know.