SHAH ALAM: There will be no shortfall in subsidised cooking oil if an errant repackager is suspended, says Datuk Rosol Wahid.
The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Deputy Minister said that any unfulfilled quota would simply be assigned to other repackaging operations.
"When a repackaging operation is halted, it doesn't mean that the cooking oil quota would be affected.
"The unfulfilled quotas will be distributed to other nearby operations.
"This is to ensure the supply and distribution are not affected," he told the press after conducting checks at two cooking oil repackaging operations on the fringe of Subang and Shah Alam on Tuesday (July 5).
From the ministry's surveillance, Rosol noted that companies that were involved in the smuggling of subsidised cooking oil consisted of not just those nearby the country's borders.
"There were companies from Perak and also Selangor.
"So it shows that such companies can be from anywhere.
"Before we thought that the smuggling would have involved repackaging operations closer to the borders, but it's not," he said.
He also said the government was increasing surveillance and enforcement because the price of cooking oil had been an issue of concern of late.
Since 2021, he said the ministry had suspended 15 repackaging operations for suspected wrongdoings, including smuggling of subsidised cooking oil.
Among them, nine had their license revoked, he said.
Rosol added that the government would continue with the audit of manufacturers and packaging premises nationwide to tackle smuggling, he added.
