THE Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry is sending undercover enforcement officers to inspect shops and food premises in each state to detect traders who increase prices arbitrarily. 

Deputy Minister Rosol Wahid said this is following complaints from consumers over food prices that remain high even though the price of raw materials such as chicken is now much cheaper than in the past few months. 

He said there should be a reduction in food prices in line with the stable prices of raw materials as a result of intervention measures taken by the government to overcome the issue of rising costs of basic necessities. 

Rosol said the measures include providing subsidies, setting a ceiling price and organising the Keluarga Malaysia Cheap Sales programme to the benefit of food vendors.

“We take the issue seriously and have taken steps to address it because, for example, when there’s an increase in the price of chicken, prices of chicken rice went up from RM8 to RM12 the following day. 

“Now the price of chicken has gone down but we notice that many traders have not yet lowered their prices,” he said after officiating the annual general meeting of the Terengganu Shariah Officials Association in Kuala Terengganu today. 

Rosol urged consumers to lodge reports against traders who increase their prices at unreasonable rates.

“We (the ministry) can take action under the Price Control and Anti Profiteering Act 2011 for those who take excessive profits,” he said. – Bernama, August 21, 2022.