THE Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry has denied rumours of an increase in the price of imported meat in the market.

Its minister, Salahuddin Ayub, said thus far, goods under the ministry’s price control such as eggs, chicken and imported meat, have not experienced any price increase.

“Go to any shop, the price of imported beef and buffalo meat is still under control, which is at RM18 to RM21 per kilogramme, depending on the grade,” he told reporters, after launching the Bakul Rahmah and flagging off of the 99 SpeedMart trucks in Kuala Lumpur today.

“We do not control the price of local beef. This means that there are people, especially those living in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, who do not buy imported meat but choose to buy local beef.”

He said the price of local beef is stable, which is RM37.96 per kg from last November until now.

However, Salahuddin urged people to file complaints immediately in the event of an increase in the price of imported meat at any outlet.

He said the ministry will announce the Festive Season Maximum Price Scheme in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri on Wednesday.

He also said the ministry aims to distribute 130,000 food baskets under Bakul Rahmah initiative nationwide until July.

“Thus far, we have collected about 80,000 Bakul Rahmah and 40,000 of them have been distributed under phase one,” he said.

“The rest will be distributed before Hari Raya Aidilfitri to ensure that the poor are not left behind.

“Under phase two, we will reach the target of about 130,000 households until July, which means that by then, we would have helped 100% of the (hardcore poor) households.” – Bernama, April 10, 2023.