Price controls in place

PUTRAJAYA: For 11 days from April 26 to May 6, 22 types of goods, including beef and seafood, will be subjected to a maximum price scheme for the festive season.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said that during this period, the 2022 Hari Raya Puasa Festive Season Maximum Price Scheme will be implemented to stabilise the price of goods and their supply during Ramadan and Hari Raya, which falls on May 3.

The items on the list are those categorised as seafood, dried goods, vegetables and meat.

“The effective period for the scheme is seven days before the festival, on the festival day and three days after the festival day,” Nanta said when announcing the scheme at his ministry here yesterday, Bernama reported.

The minister said the 22 items listed are local beef (except for tenderloin); imported beef (maximum price for Sarawak only) and imported buffalo meat (maximum price for the peninsula, Sabah and the Federal Territory of Labuan only).

Listed under the fish category are mackerel including mambong; selayang (sardine), aya/tongkol fish and demudok/sagai/cermin/cupak (for Sabah only).

For the vegetable category, the items are tomatoes; red chillies; imported round cabbages (from Indonesia and China, but not the Beijing cabbage); long beans; long eggplants; cucumbers; imported old ginger, imported large red onions; Holland onions; garlic (from China); dried chillies; groundnuts; coconuts (wholesale only) and grated coconut (retail only).

On why chicken was not included in the list, Nanta said it was due to the implementation of the Maximum Price of Chicken and Chicken Eggs scheme last Feb 5, which is still in force until June 5.

The National Action Council on Cost of Living special meeting on the food production industry had, on Jan 31, decided to reduce the maximum retail price for standard chicken by 20 sen to RM8.90 from the RM9.10 ceiling price.

Meanwhile, Nanta said the ministry had determined the maximum prices at manufacturer, wholesaler and retail levels based on information from several sources, which included price monitoring in all districts throughout the country last year and from January to April.

Apart from that, he said pricing was also determined after obtaining the views of relevant government agencies and stakeholders.

“Determining the price of goods for the states is made according to the current market price and takes into account the factors of price changes, especially for imported goods that are influenced by prices in the country of origin, changes in currency exchange rates and increased utility costs for farmers,” he explained.

Nanta said traders caught selling price-controlled goods higher than the maximum price permitted will face action under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.

The law provides for a maximum fine of RM100,000 or imprisonment of up to three years, or both, or a compound of up to RM50,000. For companies, the maximum fine is RM500,000 or a compound of up to RM250,000.