Since it coincided with the Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar’s birthday, the state government declared a replacement holiday on March 26, which was a Sunday.In Johor Baru, traders at the Bandar Baru Uda Ramadan bazaar spoke about the festive atmosphere this year, coping with the spike in raw material prices, and businesses recovering after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It has only been a week since Ramadan started, we already see a good crowd. I believe the numbers will increase as Hari Raya Aidilfitri draws closer. “It was not an easy decision to make as this means that we have to absorb the extra cost. However, after thinking about it, we decided to maintain the price as customer satisfaction is more important to us,” he said.Trader Siti Fatimah Sarudin, 34, was surprised to see such a large crowd in the first week of Ramadan, and found that it was significantly better compared to 2022.
Siti Fatimah now sells a packet of cempedak goreng, with either seven or 14 pieces , for RM15, up from RM12.50 last year. Continuous rain over the past week had affected sales and he hoped to see more people at the bazaar in the weeks to come.