PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has questioned how a RM42mil incentive for a sugar manufacturer benefits consumers in Parliament.
"This subsidy is given every month, and I would like to know how the ministry differentiates between normal and premium sugar on the market?" asked the Ayer Hitam MP in a Parliament video he shared on Facebook on Monday (March 25).
Deputy Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Fuziah Salleh said the subsidy was only a temporary measure to control sugar prices.
"This is until we find a solution through discussion with stakeholders.
"Our concern is not domestic usage, which is within control, but micro industries which use a lot of sugar to produce food such as kuih and cakes.
Fuziah said the incentive was to keep the price of sugar low and control inflation, which will have a chain effect on consumers if the prices of food and drinks go up.
"The aim is to have a sustainable solution as producers selling premium sugar to compensate for the losses incurred in selling sugar (at lower cost) was not a workable solution," she added.
