Singapore — So bus and train fares are going up, electricity is going to cost more, food prices will keep rising. So what about our pay? Will that go up, too?

Netizens are reacting with dismay to Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong’s heads-up about rising food prices, as the minister’s warning on Wednesday (Nov 3) caps a series of announcements concerning price hikes in electricity and public transport fares.

To tweak an old saying, is forewarned really to be forearmed?

Mr Gan tried. He mapped out the reasons for the expected rise in food costs.In a written reply to a question from PAP MP Shawn Huang Wei Zhong (Jurong GRC).

“The cost of food is affected by a combination of factors, including the imported prices, energy costs, freight, labour, and seasonal weather changes,” he said, adding that suppliers may need to adjust prices to reflect cost increases.

Mr Huang had asked about the impact on prices of increasing energy costs and supply chain disruptions.

MINISTER GAN BLAMED the rising cost of food in Singapore in the past six months primarily on “increased prices for global food commodities, higher energy prices, supply chain bottlenecks and labour shortages”.

His alert on food prices came on the same day the Public Transport Council announced that bus and train fares would go up by 2.2 per cent from Dec 26.

This amounts to 3 or 4 cents more per trip for adults paying by stored-value fare card, and a smaller increase for seniors, students, people with disabilities and low-wage workers.

On Monday, the Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng had told Parliament that there might be an electricity price hike next year as energy prices increase globally.

Understandably, as many people are still reeling from the economic fallout due to the pandemic, news of looming price rises provoked a chorus of dismay from netizens.

Many commenters especially asked for government help to be extended to middle-income families.

And while netizens acknowledged that this is a problem the whole world, and not just Singapore is facing, some hope for a corresponding increase in salaries to keep up with the rising cost of living.