PUTRAJAYA: If middlemen could accept reasonable profits, it can help control the rise in prices of fresh produce for the rakyat, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"It is the middleman that causes prices to rise and this is a theory which was spoken of by Ungku Aziz (the late Royal Prof Ungku Abdul Aziz Ungku Abdul Hamid) as the irregularities in the marketing structure.
"If the middleman can play a role or make reasonable profits, prices will thus be controlled," the Prime Minister said when met during a walkabout at the Bazaar Ramadan Precinct 3 here on Thursday (April 6).
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Another method of controlling prices of locally produced fresh produce such as vegetables, he said, was to direct the supply of such items to agro-bazaars or bazaars.
He said prices of such goods could be maintained by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry and Agriculture and Food Security Ministry through Argo Rahmah Sales at bazaars.
"This shows that if we take the fresh produce from the farms directly to the markets, their prices will be way lower," he added.
However, he said that the prices of imported goods were not within this control, only those produced locally.
Meanwhile, Anwar announced that rental for stalls at the Ramadan bazaar in Putrajaya would be lowered to RM850 a month from the current RM1,000.
Based on the success of the bazaar here, Anwar said their operations could be extended beyond this period.
Earlier, Anwar visited several booths set up under the Argo Rahmah Sales at the bazaar.
A total of 14 types of vegetables, four types of frozen seafood, chicken and eggs were sold below the usual market prices to help those in the B40 group.
The Prime Minister later spent some time visiting the other food stalls at the bazaar before leaving for Seri Perdana to break fast.
Also present at the walkabout were Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub and Agriculture and Food Security Deputy Minister Chan Foong Hin.
