March 19, 2026
KUALA LUMPUR – Oversupply from imports has intensified competition for locally grown vegetables.
Coupled with peak harvest season, the glut has driven wholesale purchase prices down to as low as 30 sen per kilogramme.
Datuk Chai Kok Lim, chairman of the Cameron Highlands Vegetable Growers Association said that due to competition from imports and oversupply, prices of vegetable grown in highland have dropped sharply, leaving farmers selling below cost and incurring losses, forcing some to dip into savings just to continue farming.
Currently, purchase prices for vegetables have fallen by as much as 73% to 90%, he said.
Japanese cucumbers are now priced at 40–50 sen per kilogramme, green lettuce at 50–60 sen, tomatoes at 70–80 sen, cabbage at 30–40 sen, bok choy at 50–60 sen, while spring onions are selling for less than RM1 per kilogramme, compared to around RM3 previously, he said.
Wholesalers are limiting their purchases to about 300–400 kilogrammes at a time to avoid overstocking and to help stabilise prices.
Farmers are now forced to dispose of unsold vegetables within their farms, rather than transporting them elsewhere for dumping as was done in the past, he said.
Chai expressed hope that the situation will improve after Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Malaysia currently imports vegetables from countries including China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh and Pakistan, he said.
Among them, Bangladesh and Pakistan are the latest entrants exporting cabbage and tomatoes to Malaysia starting this year.
Farmers in Cameron Highlands had met with the secretary-general from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in January, followed by a meeting with the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority ( FAMA) on March 6 to highlight the need for tighter control of imported vegetables, he said.
Chai pointed out that certain pesticides used in Thailand are banned in Malaysia, raising concerns about how such produce could enter the local market unchecked.
“For example, whether imported products have obtained Malaysia Good Agricultural Practices (myGAP) certification and country-of-origin certification (MOA), as well as details on pesticide usage and where they are grown,” he said.
There are currently more than 100 vegetable importers in Malaysia, including six foreign companies—two to three of which are from China, while others are Thai companies.
Chai said that when countries like China experience overproduction, surplus vegetables—sometimes in quantities of one to two tonnes—are exported at relatively low prices, creating stiff competition for local produce.
Imports from China and Thailand make up the largest share.
He cited that during floods in southern Thailand last November, reduced output caused vegetable prices to surge.
For instance, wholesale prices of green lettuce rose from RM2 per kilogramme to RM10, coriander from RM4 to RM18, and celery from RM2 to RM8.
Prices have since declined again.