DESPITE needing subsidised packet cooking oil the most, residents in rural areas have struggled to obtain it, with many saying they have not seen a single packet on store shelves in over a year, Kosmo! reported.
This scarcity has left many relying on expensive bottled cooking oil for their daily needs, including Orang Asli communities.
For villager Ran Kakau, 39, who goes out only once every few days to buy essentials from a small nearby market, he said it is difficult to get packet cooking oil from grocery stores in Pekan Kahang, Johor.
He said this situation leaves them with no choice but to buy whatever is available, even though the price of other cooking oil is significantly higher than the subsidised packet.
“We heard it’s sold only in supermarkets, which are too far away for us in villages like Kahang.
“Even with the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) credit, it means nothing if we cannot buy packet cooking oil,” he said.
Another villager Nazirah Ahmad, 45, echoed Ran’s frustration, saying local shops have long run out of packet oil.
“Sometimes, we get supplies through the Rahmah sales programme.
“But since such events are rare, it is not enough to meet the needs of thousands of residents from the dozens of Orang Asli villages and surrounding communities here,” she said.
