KOTA KINABALU, Dec 21 – The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry has introduced a maximum price scheme for 14 food products for the Christmas season, said its minister Datuk Armizan Ali.
In effect for a total of five days from December 23 to 27, the scheme covers items deemed essential and popular during the festive season.
While exact prices vary from region to region, the same 14 items are involved, including imported bone-in lamb, pork belly, live pigs (from farm), pork belly, pork meat, chicken wings, and mature live chickens.
Pork and chicken wings are already controlled price items in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan while mature chicken is controlled in Sarawak.
Other items include tomatoes, green chillies, imported round cabbages from China and Indonesia, red carrots, red chillies, imported potatoes from China, imported red onions and imported yellow onions.
The Christmas ceiling price scheme 2023 will be enforced through the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act (AKHAP) 2011, which covers producers, wholesalers and retailers.
The items in question must display a pink price tag.
Price checks can be made via the ministry’s website.
“KPDN enforcement officers throughout the country will constantly inspect and monitor strategic locations, such as wet markets, farmer’s markets and shopping malls, for festival essentials.
“This approach allows for more effective enforcement and immediate action can be taken in response to complaints if non-compliance occurs,” he said.
Individual traders who fail to comply could be subject to a RM50,000 compound, court penalties of up to RM100,000, or three years’ jail for charging above the ceiling rate, while companies can be fined up to RM500,000 or compounded up to RM250,000.
For the offence of failing to use a pink price tag, individual traders can be fined up to RM10,000 or compounded up to RM5,000, while companies can be fined up to RM20,000 or compounded up to RM10,000.
Meanwhile, Armizan said the government was also looking into a long-term solution to address the shortage of sugar in the local market.
He said that the limited supply of refined white sugar at the price of RM2.85 is due to the high price of raw sugar in the global market.
“Since 2021, the increase in the price of raw sugar in the global market has exceeded 150 per cent. The two main manufacturers who supply sugar with a price control of RM2.85 have been suffering losses for the past three years because their costs have increased,” he said, before adding that there was no subsidy on sugar despite the imposed price control.
Since July 2023, a total of 43 companies have been granted sugar import quota approval permits with a total of 557,080 metric tons. The purpose is to allow any party to find a source of raw sugar supply at a low rate.
However, as of December 12 this year, the sugar supply that was brought in was only at a rate of 5 per cent and only for personal use. This means that no party could find a source of raw sugar supply to be processed, and then sold at the controlled price of RM2.85.
“The ministry is relaxing the import permit conditionally. If any party can bring in and sell refined sugar at the price of RM2.85, please apply and we will grant the approval immediately,” he said.
“We introduced this relaxation last July. On January 1, 2024, we will carry out an assessment and must make an immediate decision to avoid larger supply disruptions,” he said.
