Everything More Expensive at New Year's Market 堅果類漲約20-30% 烏魚子.干貝漲1-2成

After two years, the Dihua Street New Year's Market reopened on the 6th. However, to shoppers' dismay, prices have gone up 10-20 percent across the board for goods.

Colorful bags of candy, peanuts and pistachios attract the eye as shoppers walk by. The Dihua Street New Year's Market is finally open, with sampling allowed for the first time in two years. At the same time, prices are much higher than in the past due to higher raw material prices.

Citizen: “Pumpkin seed prices have gone up from NT$240-250 to NT$270-280. Our salaries have not increased. All we can do is buy less and eat less.”

Citizen: “Prices are noticeably higher, but what can we do?”

The prices of nuts and peanuts have gone up 20-30 percent on average, while nougat prices have gone up 20 percent. Vendors say they are afraid to raise prices too much for fear of scaring away customers.

New Year's Market Vendor: “We only increased prices by a little bit. We used to sell (nougat) for NT$90. We've only raised the price by NT$5. The epidemic is still going strong, so a price increase is unavoidable. At the same time, we have to keep the price hike as small as possible (so we don't scare away customers).”

The prices of general goods and dried goods have all gone up. Mullet roe prices have gone up 10 percent, with the price of the highest quality mullet roe rising from NT$2,000 per catty to NT$2,800 from a year ago. Dried scallops from Hokkaido are 20 percent more expensive, while the price of canned abalone from Chile is up to NT$580 from NT$480 a year ago. The price of imported dried shiitake mushrooms has also gone up by 20 percent.

Hsu Ching-chi, Dihua Street Promotion Association Chair: “The prices of everything have gone up, including shipping. The mullet roe supply is significantly lower this year, as is the supply of farmed aquatic products and dried Hokkaido scallops.”

The market, which opened on the 6th, will close on the 20th. Shoppers should be prepared to spend more than they ever have before.

將五顏六色的糖果擺上貨架，花生、開心果也一袋一袋堆好，供民眾挑選。

北市迪化街年貨大街正式開賣，也是睽違兩年開放試吃，一早就吸引不少民眾來採買。在原物料上漲下，今年不少零嘴類的價格都上揚。

民眾指出：「買南瓜子，之前都差不多250元、240元，現在就270元、280了。薪水沒漲啊，所以就少買一點、少吃一點。」

民眾認為：「價錢是有差啦，可是要吃就是要買。」

比較各類年貨價格，堅果、花生類漲幅最明顯，平均漲幅約20至30%，牛軋糖貴了2成。攤商也擔心，一次漲太多會嚇跑客人。

年貨大街攤商表示：「一個微調而已。（牛軋糖）以前我們是賣90，現在賣95而已。疫情時間也不敢，應該是要也應該要漲多一點，可是我們也不太敢，只是個微調而已。」

另外烹煮年菜要用到的南北貨、乾貨等也漲價了。像是烏魚子平均漲一成，最高等級的去年同期一斤2000元，現在2800元；北海道干貝也是貴了約2成；3粒罐裝智利鮑去年480元，現在一罐580元；至於進口的花菇，則是平均貴2成。

迪化商圈促進會理事長徐慶棋指出：「萬物都漲，包括運費什麼都漲，會比較讓民眾有感覺到漲幅，有一點漲幅。今年烏魚子的產量是真的很少，包括海洋養殖產量真的差很多，日本北海道的干貝產量也是少很多，包括運費也一起調漲。」

今年的迪化街年貨大街，從1月6日到1月20日止。在萬物齊漲下，民眾採買各式年貨，恐怕得多花一點錢。