Commentary: Our hawkers deserve more

Those of us who can afford it shouldn’t complain when they raise their prices due to rising costs especially when so many of us recognise the skill and the hard work that goes into making a good hawker dish, says Channel NewAsia's Bharati Jagdish.

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/commentary-our-hawkers-deserve-more-9515430

Commentary: Our hawkers deserve more

Those of us who can afford it shouldn’t complain when they raise their prices due to rising costs especially when so many of us recognise the skill and the hard work that goes into making a good hawker dish, says Channel NewAsia's Bharati Jagdish.

Ricky Lim · 

Singapore

Actually to boost the sales of hawkers, hawker centre can liaise with food delivery like Food panda, ubereat etc - to help in using online sales and delivery system.

This will help to bring in more sales and more income for hawkers without the need to increase food prices - for the sake of lower income group.

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Ricky Lim · 

Singapore

There are many elderly, retirees, retrenched, unemployed, lower income groups, students etc that rely on hawker centres for food.

Thus cannot increase hawker prices to the detriments of these people.

The only way is to boost the hawker business - by liasing with online eSales and delivery companies - to advertise their foods, make order and do delivery.

This will boost their income.

Actually wonder any organistations or people with such knowledge can tie up with each hawker centre to offer such services. Or Government can help in this process.

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Ricky Lim · 

Singapore

This will become the ITM (Industry Transformation Map) for Hawkers, Hawker Centres --- for hawkers - to upgrade themselves in the Digital Economy and boost their income.

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Ricky Lim · 

Singapore

I have seen an elderly order his food from a rice stall.

He order a plate of white rice, 1 vegetable and request the stall holder to give him some curry.

It cost him 50 cents for the rice and $1.50 for the vegetable and the curry is free.

Altogether it cost him $2.

And he relish his food with satisfaction.

It is quite a pitiful sight to watch.

If hawker further increase the food price, he may have to forgo his vegetable - by ordering just a plate of white rice 50 cents and curry sauce only and probably vegetable sauce.

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Kelvin Leow · 

Jakarta, Indonesia

Hawker centres rent cost must keep to lowest so these hard working stall still able to keep affordable pricing. Goverment must control the stall rented out to hawker run the business not sub-letting to higher cost. Honestly, 3.50 to 4 buck with bigger portion is fair in non ac hawker centre.

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Ricky Lim · 

Singapore

Government control rent cost will help to reduce the overhead of the hawkers.

But there is a limit that the Government can do, as 羊毛出在羊身上。

If Government keep reducing rental cost - it means Government will have less revenue to fund social welfare, infrastructure spendings etc.

And to ensure its revenue can be sustained - may have to raise tax like income tax, property tax, gst etc.

So the best is to boost the revenue source of the hawkers.

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