KUCHING: Enforcement over essential goods ahead of the month of Ramadan will continue to be tightened to ensure price stability and sufficient supply.
Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, Dr Fuziah Salleh said early monitoring is crucial to prevent price manipulation and ensure an adequate supply of essential food items for consumers.
“We are implementing a programme to monitor pre-Ramadan prices and our efforts will continue throughout the month because we want to look at the essential items needed for preparation, including goods sold at Ramadan bazaars.
“When we visited the wholesale market this morning, we also issued a notice. The notice was given to a company under Section 21 of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act (AKHAP) 2011.
“So far, 177 notices have been issued since Oct 1, 2024, until now,” she said when met with reporters after conducting the Ops Kita Gempur Sarawak Edition at H&L Supermarket Kuching Sentral here Saturday (Feb 22).
Dr Fuziah added that these notices require companies to provide details on selling prices, purchase costs, import expenses, profit margins, and overhead costs.
“With this data, we can accurately assess costs and detect profiteering. If price manipulation is found, we can take immediate action. Three investigation papers have already been opened in Sarawak,” she said.
Additionally, she said that the supply of essential goods, including food, is currently sufficient for Ramadan as ships carrying imported supplies have resumed operations after Chinese New Year.
“When the celebrations ended, shipping companies began operating again, and we have reviewed the timeline from Chinese New Year, after two weeks, they started moving.
“So, we will have enough supply for Ramadan,” she said.
Dr Fuziah also stated that Sarawak has specific control over cooking oil, with each repackager responsible for delivering supplies to designated locations.
She explained that while other states have partial control, Sarawak has full control over the distribution of cooking oil through a zonal system to ensure sufficient supply.
