Ministry To Monitor Prices Of Essential Goods Daily After 400 Hike Claim

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All markets and supermarkets in Penang will come under greater scrutiny by the domestic trade and cost of living ministry to ensure prices of essential goods are not raised arbitrarily. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: There will be daily inspections to monitor the prices of several goods at public markets, morning markets, night markets, farmers’ markets, and supermarkets in Penang, says the domestic trade and cost of living ministry.
S Jegan.Its state director S Jegan said this is to ensure that prices remain controlled and vendors do not increase prices arbitrarily, Bernama reported.
He was responding to a report quoting the Penang Hindu Association (PHA) as saying that there had been a sharp increase in the prices of several essential goods, ahead of Chinese New Year and Thaipusam, with one item having increased by 400% in just three months.
Yesterday, PHA president P Murugiah said the association had received many complaints from its members and decided to do a random survey of prices in various retail outlets.
“We found that the price of tomatoes has skyrocketed from RM1.60 per kg last October to RM8.00 per kg this month, which is an increase of RM6.40. This translates to a 400% increase,” he said in a statement.
The ministry said its enforcement officers would be monitoring the prices of various items, including those surveyed by PHA, namely tomatoes, garlic, cardamom, coconut milk, black sesame seeds and coconuts (without husks).
According to Jegan, the monitoring done today across 45 public markets, 13 hypermarkets, and 18 supermarkets in the state showed that prices remain stable.
He said his officers found that the wholesale price of Cameron Highlands tomatoes from three main suppliers ranged from RM2.00 to RM5.30 per kg, depending on the uncertain weather conditions.
He added that retail prices have ranged from RM4.51 to RM6.41 per kg from October to January.
Meanwhile, for garlic, wholesale prices from four major Chinese suppliers were between RM3.80 and RM4 per kg, with retail prices averaging RM12.93 to RM13.06 per kg over the same period. Retail prices for cardamom were RM195.84 to RM205.45 per kg, while coconut milk ranged from RM11.44 to RM14.61 per kg.
Jegan said the price of coconuts has risen due to increased costs from Indonesia and high demand from Thailand. Retail prices for coconuts in Penang have ranged from RM2.73 to RM3.31 each since October.
He added that the domestic trade and cost of living ministry is working closely with industry players such as Fama to ensure sufficient supply of coconut products in the market.
He reminded traders that legal action will be taken against any party attempting to profiteer unjustly ahead of the CNY and Thaipusam festivities. - FMT

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