KOTA KINABALU: Small traders selling food and beverages need not worry – they can continue to use subsidised LPG cylinders – as long as they offer “rakyat prices”.
They will be exempted for the requirement to use commercial cylinders, which cost almost three times as much, under amendments to the Supply Control Regulations (Amendment) 2021 (PPKB (Amendment) 2021).
In May, the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry launched Ops Gasak, which required businesses, including eateries and hawker stalls, to use the more expensive, purple-coloured 14kg commercial LPG cylinders.
Those using more than 42kg of LPG at any time needed a special permit.
However, minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali told Bernama yesterday that food and beverage vendors who offer services at reasonable prices will continue to be guaranteed access to LPG subsidies.
“Unlike the 2021 ruling which only allowed the use of subsidised LPG cylinders not exceeding 42kg at any given time, the amendment will take into account the needs of micro and small traders.
“We will also look at control mechanisms in the context of ensuring that there are no leakages in this subsidy,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
Earlier, Armizan attended the PPKB (Amendment) 2021 engagement session involving food and beverage traders’ associations in Sabah to gather their views and feedback.
Armizan said there was a need to ensure that no one took advantage of public subsidies.
He revealed cases of large-scale purchases of subsidised LPG gas, with some being used at business premises while the rest were resold to parties involved in misappropriation.
“Therefore, we need to formulate control mechanisms,” he said.
The ministry, he added, has also established a technical committee to review appropriate “rakyat prices” for consumers, taking into account basic cost of living data to be released by the Statistics Department.
Meanwhile, Armizan said that his ministry had summoned ice manufacturers and frozen food producers in Peninsular Malaysia to explain the basis for their recent price changes, effective tomorrow.
The price hike was reported on social media recently.
“What is the basis, whether it is due to increased operating cost, raw material cost, or due to SST (Sale and Service Tax)?
“If it is due to SST, we will ask them to provide the basis and apply the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act,” Armizan added.
