Prices of onion, garlic in Malaysia rose by over 30 per cent in June compared to last year

Wholesale onion market in Kolkata, India, on September 30. On Sunday, India banned exports of onions, a common ingredient in South Asian cooking, as prices remain high due to a seasonal shortage that has been worsened by flooding in several states. Photo: AFP / Indranil Aditya / NurPhoto. Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jul 22, 2020, Malay Mail. The average prices of onion and garlic in Malaysia has increased by more than 30 per cent in June 2020, when compared against price levels in the same month last year, official statistics from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) today showed, Malay Mail reported.

In a video presentation on its official Facebook page, DOSM showed that the average price per kg in Malaysia for big onions rose from RM3.31 in June 2019 to RM4.58 in June 2020, while the average price per kg for small onions went up from RM5.58 in June 2019 to RM8.32 in June 2020.

Similarly, the average price per kg for garlic in Malaysia has increased from RM7.49 in June 2019 to RM10.27 in June 2020.

But different states in Malaysia may have different price levels for the same items.

In a separate list provided by DOSM on its website of the average price for selected items nationwide in June 2020, the average price per kg of onions for June 2020 was at RM4.58 in Malaysia as a whole.

But when examined according to states in this list, the most expensive average price per kg for onions was RM7.17 in Sabah, which is about 56.55 per cent more expensive than the national level of RM4.58.

Also exceeding the national level of prices of onions were RM5.50 (Labuan), RM5.42 (Sarawak), RM4.98 (Terengganu), RM4.69 (Johor, Pahang).

The rest of the states showed lower than average prices at RM4.49 (Negri Sembilan), RM4.22 (Perak), RM4.19 (Kuala Lumpur), RM4.08 (Kelantan), RM3.96 (Perlis), RM3.76 (Selangor), RM3.60 (Kedah).

The three states or territories where it was cheapest to buy onions in June 2020 even saw price levels fall below the national average of RM3.31 in June 2019, namely RM3.23 (Melaka), RM3.08 (Putrajaya) and RM3.07 (Penang).

The June 2020 list — which covers 100 selected food and non-food items — did not include price comparisons for garlic and shallots in the different states in Malaysia.

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