High food prices see shoppers hit Shenzhen
By David Wong & Hannah Cheung
Residents of Tin Shui Wai, one of the poorest areas in Hong Kong, are being hit with the fast-rising cost of food and are even shopping across the border in Shenzhen to save money.
The monopolistic situation is serious because The Link Real Estate Investment Trust (The Link REIT) owns five markets in Tin Shui Wai, an area based in Yuen Long district in the northwestern New Territories. This has resulted in high food prices, which have had a direct impact on consumers.
About 60 percent of Tin Shui Wai residents go to other districts to buy food because of the expensive prices. （Photo: David Wong）
The Labour Party, a center-left social democratic political party in Hong Kong, conducted a study last January where they reviewed over 30 wet markets and supermarkets in different regions. They found that Tin Shui Wai’s food prices are one of the most expensive and on average is 50 percent higher than markets in other neighborhoods “The food price is very reasonable in Shenzhen Bay. I need to spend HK$15 for buying cabbage per catty in Tin Shui Wai, but it is just ¥4 (HK$5) in Shenzhen.” Lee Mei.
In the same survey, The Labour Party interviewed over 200 Tin Shui Wai residents and results showed that over 90 percent of respondents think the products are very expensive at Tin Shui Wai’s wet market, and almost 60 percent of residents go to other districts to buy food.
As a result, residents of Tin Shui Wai have found alternatives. Many residents now head to the Yuen Long Market because the food prices are lower than the Tin Shui Wai market. Also, some people choose to go over the border to Shenzhen, China, to buy food.
Lee Mei, a 65-year-old retiree, has three family members living in the Tin Heng Estate, Tin Shui Wai.
Her daughter is still attending school so she relies on her husband’s income. Lee’s husband earns HK$7,000 a month and is the main bread winner. However, Lee said the family had felt the crunch in their monthly budget because of the high food prices at Tin Shui Wai’s market.
“In order to save more money, my friends suggested that I to go to Shenzhen to buy groceries,” Lee said. She has done the math and says it is more budget friendly. Because of Lee’s senior discounts she spends HK$2 to take the bus to the Shenzhen Bay Port and ¥1 to go to the market. The whole trip takes 30 minutes.
“The food price is very reasonable in Shenzhen Bay. For example, I need to spend HK$15 per catty on buying cabbage in Tin Shui Wai, but it is just ¥4 (HK$5) in Shenzhen,” Lee said. Other residents go to other neighborhoods to buy food. Lisa Wong chooses to do her grocery shopping at the Yuen Long Tung Yick Market, after comparing the food prices with those from Tin Shui Wai Chung Fu Market and Tung Yick Market. She found that some food prices in Tin Shui Wai are more than 50 percent higher than the other markets.
“When I buy food in Tin Shui Wai during weekdays for a meal, I sometimes spend over HK$100, while it would cost HK$70 in Yuen Long,” she said.
The high rent is one of the reasons for the high food prices, stall owners say.
Mr. Tang, (who did not want his full name disclosed) a shopkeeper of meat stalls in Tin Shui Wai Chung Fu Market, said, “If the rental can be cheaper, I will decrease the price of the products. However, it is impossible. I need to increase the food prices because of the HK$53,000 monthly rent and employees’ wages.”
The Link REIT said the rental was set at a reasonable level. “We are willing to help shopkeepers if they have any problems,” said a spokesman of The Link REIT.
Cheng Sze Lut, the vice-chairman of The Labour Party said to deal with the problem, the government should construct the municipal building operated by Food Hygiene and Environmental Department. This will provide affordable space for shopkeepers to sell cooked food and fresh product at competitive prices to residents.
A department spokesman said it had no plans to build a new market in Tin Shui Wai, but it would seriously review opinions from all parties.
In the meantime, there are still some consumers who continue to buy food in Tin Shui Wai. Ms. Lau, a Tin Shui Wai resident, said “Although I know the food is very expensive in Tin Shui Wai, it is inconvenient and too far to go to other neighborhoods to grocery shop. I am not a full-time housewife and have a job too.”
