PETALING JAYA: Cost pressures are beginning to emerge in the domestic food supply chain, says Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.
"In terms of cost of living, selected food prices remain within a controlled range, although input pressures are beginning to emerge. Between April 20 and April 22, price movements for selected food items remained below 10%," he said during a briefing on the energy crisis on Tuesday (April 28).
He said the average price of standard chicken rose 3.3% to RM9.70 per kg, Grade C eggs increased 7.3% to RM3.93 per 10 eggs, while beef prices declined 3.8% to RM35.92 per kg.
For seafood, Indian mackerel fell 1.1% to RM16.10 per kg, while scad and white prawns rose 0.95% to RM10.36 per kg and 0.61% to RM32.03 per kg respectively.
In the vegetable category, mustard greens rose from RM6.16 to RM6.51 per kg, spinach increased nearly 5% to RM5.59 per kg, and fresh coconut milk rose 3.6% to RM16.41 per kg.
"These trends indicate that input and logistics cost pressures are beginning to signal early stress within the domestic food supply chain," he said.
Akmal Nasrullah said the government will monitor and implement necessary measures to mitigate the impact on consumers and maintain price stability.
He said monitoring must extend beyond retail prices and cover upstream factors including fertiliser, diesel, energy, raw materials, production, transportation and distribution.
He added that the government is focusing on fertiliser supply and agricultural inputs to ensure food security, including promoting bio-organic fertilisers and circular economy practices using biomass and agricultural waste.
Akmal Nasrullah said this week's National Economic Action Council meeting focused on the electricity sector, construction industry, labour market and the medium-term economic outlook.
He said national electricity supply remains secure, adding that the main risk is uncertainty in global fuel prices.
"As the prices of fuels such as coal and gas increase, the cost of electricity generation also rises, potentially affecting consumer tariffs if not carefully managed," he said.
As at April 25, the electricity generation mix was dominated by coal at 54% and gas at 40%, meaning a large portion of supply remains exposed to global market movements.
He said coal imports in the first quarter of 2026 totalled 7.94 million metric tonnes, with annual requirements projected at 35.99 million metric tonnes.
Akmal Nasrullah said the Energy Commission is monitoring coal stock levels at power plants to ensure minimum supply requirements are maintained.
For gas, he said average consumption for electricity generation stood at about 1,011 million standard cubic feet per day in the first quarter, largely supported by domestic sources from Kerteh.
However, he said the share of gas in the generation mix is expected to decline between July and August due to maintenance works that will limit supply to the power sector.
He said under such conditions, the national electricity system must remain flexible in using alternative fuels to ensure stability.
Akmal Nasrullah said electricity demand is also rising.
"Between April 20 and April 25, the average peak demand rose 1.9% to 20,640MW, compared with 20,257MW the previous week.
"A new peak demand of 21,468MW was recorded on April 23, surpassing the previous high of 21,276MW," he said.
He said the rise was largely driven by hot weather and higher air-conditioning use.
Akmal Nasrullah said generation costs for May are projected to rise due to higher coal prices, estimated at RM21.28 per million British thermal unit compared with a base price of RM19.14.
He said the government has assured it will minimise the impact of electricity cost changes on households and businesses.
About 85% of households, or 7.5 million domestic users consuming below 600kWh, will remain fully exempt from the Automatic Fuel Adjustment charge, he added.
"The government's message is clear: electricity supply remains secure, but generation costs must be managed prudently as the country remains exposed to global fuel price fluctuations," he said.
He added that simple actions such as setting air conditioning at reasonable temperatures, switching off unused appliances and managing electricity use during peak hours can help reduce demand and stabilise generation costs.
