Pricey pomfret? FairPrice selling it at almost half the price than at wet markets

Jan 28, 2022 08:30 am

As the prices of popular fish like Chinese pomfret and red grouper have spiked ahead of Chinese New Year, FairPrice is bucking that trend.

The Straits Times reported on Jan 26 that six wet markets were selling fresh Chinese pomfret for as high as $90 to $100 a kg, up from $40 to $50 a kg last November. Red grouper was priced at up to $75 a kg, from $30 to $40 a kg.

At FairPrice, however, fresh Chinese pomfret is currently priced at $50.90 a kg, while red grouper is also going for $50.90 a kg.

A check on prices at supermarket chain Sheng Siong found that prices for both fish were also lower compared with wet market prices – $63.99 for pomfret and $69.99 for red grouper.

The price increase is normal during the Chinese New Year period – around 50 per cent higher due to demand – and stallholders said the increase was also exacerbated by floods in Malaysia last month. Singapore's fish supplies come mainly from Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.

The price of prawns at wet markets reportedly hovered at around $20. At FairPrice, a kilo of prawns cost $18.90.