14 food items under price control

KOTA KINABALU: A total of 14 food items have been listed as controlled goods for the Christmas period, says Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Ali.

They are imported lamb, tomatoes, green bell peppers, China and Indonesian imported round cabbages, carrots, red chillies, imported China potatoes, imported shallots, onions and live old chicken (controlled in Sarawak).

The items that are controlled in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan are chicken wings, pigs (at farm level control), pork belly, pork meat and pork fat.

Some of the retail prices per kilogram are RM18.50 for live pigs from farms, pork belly at RM43, RM36 for pork meat and fat, RM16 for chicken wings, RM32 for imported lamb with bone, and RM18 for bell peppers.

The prices of these listed items will be effective from Dec 23 to Dec 27.

Armizan said the price control scheme was launched for these items due to the festive season and the high demand during this period.

“We don’t want anyone to manipulate the prices of these much sought-after foodstuff and we want to ensure their supply is consistent,” he said at the launch of the price control scheme and Rahmah sales programme in Kepayan near here yesterday.

“Traders who wish to sell these items at the approved ceiling price or lower can do so, as long as they don’t sell over the ceiling price.”

He urged the public to alert the ministry if they see traders selling these foodstuff over the approved prices during the five-day scheme.

“Our officers will be going around checking the prices of goods during this period,” he said.

In reminding traders to abide by the regulations, Armizan also advised them to make sure price tags are clearly visible.

He said individuals found selling the controlled foodstuff exceeding the ceiling price can be fined up to RM100,000, jailed up to three years, or both, or issued with a RM50,000 compound.

“Companies can be fined up to RM500,000 or issued a compound notice of up to RM250,000,” he said.

Individuals who failed to place pink price tags for controlled items can be fined up to RM10,000 through court order or issued with a compound of up to RM5,000.

The list of controlled goods and their ceiling prices can be found at https://www.kpdn.gov.my.

There is a difference in retail and wholesale prices.

On the Rahmah sales programme, Armizan said the government would improve how it is conducted and come up with better features for next year.

He said RM200mil had been allocated for Rahmah sale programmes in 2024.