Fish sellers start to raise prices

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KOTA KINABALU: The government has been urged to resolve the charges issue between the Kota Kinabalu Fishing Boat Owners Association (KKFBOA) and the company appointed by Sabah Fish Marketing Sdn Bhd (Safma) or the prices of fish or sea products will soon go up by at least 50 sen to RM1 per kilogramme as a result of short supply of fish here.

“If it were up to us, or if we have a choice not to hike up the prices (of fish), we would not be doing so,” said a fishmonger when met at the Kota Kinabalu fish market yesterday.

Most fishmongers here had either increased the price of fish and seafood or considering it, due to the decision to cease operation by the Kota Kinabalu Fishing Boat Owners Association (KKFBOA), since last Thursday.

The move by KKFBOA was made after assessing the loss that these operators will continue to bear if they continue to operate, due to the high charges allegedly imposed by a company appointed by Safma.

“If this issue is not settled within a month, we will have a bigger problem,” said a 32-year-old fishmonger, Malin Sufian, when met during an observation by The Borneo Post yesterday.

“Kota Kinabalu is a city with high demand for fish. If this issue prolongs, it may mean that we will have to rely on fish supply from other districts. Even our current stocks are bought from Semporna, Tawau and Kudat.

“As of now, our (fish) prices are still maintained at the standard rates but if the State Government does not intervene and help solve the issue as demanded by the association, prices will be affected,” she said.

Asked how much of the fish prices will be increased from the current rate, most fishmongers said that they may need to increase at least 50 sen to RM1 per kilo of fish or seafood products, considering the decrease in supply if the problem persists.

A giant cuttlefish seller, 44-year-old Abdul Rajah Bandan, also concurred with other fishmongers that the government should intervene to help resolve the issue revolving Safma’s appointed company who had been alleged to have imposed higher fees.

“Due to the short of supply, we had to increase some of the prices of our goods. This is something we had to do because otherwise, we will experience loss, because we have to bear the charges incurred on us, such as the RM4 for a container when previously we did not have to pay for it,” said Abdul Rajah.

He disclosed that the cuttlefish he was selling had to be increased from RM10 per kilogramme to RM13 per kilogramme.

Junjun, 40, said that they had to increase the price of tuna fish up to 50 sen to RM1 per kilogramme, while Azmi Jalen, 18, said that they had raised the price of basung fish but may have to consider hiking it up further by RM3 to RM4 if the issue persists.

Like Malin, Abdul Rajah, Junjun and Azmi, the fishmongers there and other seafood product business operators hoped that the issue will be resolved soon, as the issue will affect many parties, including the fishmongers, customers, and eventually the fish and seafood industry in the state.