TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Despite projected condom price hikes due to supply chain disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict, the Centers for Disease Control said on Thursday that domestic supplies remain sufficient.
The world’s largest condom manufacturer, Karex, said it plans to raise prices by up to 30% due to supply chain disruptions and rising costs, per Bloomberg. CEO Goh Miah Kiat told the news agency that since the Middle East conflict began, shortages of petrochemical products and rising raw material prices have pushed production costs up by about 25% to 30%, while supply chain disruptions have also increased the cost of packaging materials and lubricants.
CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said the three leading condom suppliers in Taiwan reported that current domestic inventories are sufficient to meet at least six months of demand, per UDN. She said their parent companies had not issued any notices of price adjustments.
However, Tseng noted that procurement of future condom shipments may be constrained by geopolitical factors, potentially delaying deliveries, and that pricing is subject to updated quotations from international suppliers, per Liberty Times. Preliminary assessments indicate that supply over the next six months will not be affected.
Tseng added that the situation is not expected to affect Taiwan’s efforts to prevent sexually transmitted infections in the near term. Authorities have not received any reports of condom shortages or difficulties obtaining them.
