Sin Lee Fruits Enterprise owner Alice Tan arranges boxes of mandarin oranges in her shop. — Picture by Farhan Najib

IPOH, Jan 12 — Be prepared to dig deeper into your pockets for your box of succulent lokam (mandarin oranges) this Chinese New Year.

Sin Lee Fruits Enterprise owner Alice Tan said that because of the weakened ringgit, a box of 8kg oranges costs RM44 this year compared to RM35.20 last year.

“The price has increased by as much as 30 per cent,” she said, adding a box of 4kg oranges was being sold at RM17 this year.

Speaking to Malay Mail at her shop in Jalan Toh Puan Chah yesterday, Tan was happy, however, the price rise was not detering people from buying mandarin oranges.

“The word kam sounds like gold and giving out the orange is akin to giving out wealth to the receiver,” she said.

Tan said the bright orange colour of the fruit also symbolised “gold”, and giving and receiving it meant ushering in good luck and wealth.

She said that this year, her company ordered 10 containers of lokam from Yongchun, China, with the first container arriving at the end of last month.

“Each container can fill some 6,200 boxes,” she said.

Tan said sales were expected to pick up as Chinese New Year drew nearer.

“Most customers only buy oranges a week before Chinese New Year as that is when they will get their bonuses,” she said.