‘Price control scheme meant to ease burden of consumers during festive seasons’

KUCHING: The enforcement of the price control scheme for festive season by the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism ( KPDNKK) remains one of the measures to ensure that local consumers would not be burdened by excessive pricing.

According to Assistant Minister for Entrepreneur Development Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais, any festive season is a time when people would shop for more things than they usually would, causing the demand to shoot up, especially for essential items.

“This ( price control scheme) is a government’s effort through KPDNKK to ensure that the people are not burdened by excessive pricing,” he said during a visit to Stutong Community Market yesterday where he was accompanied by state KPDNKK director Dato Stanley Tan and its chief enforcement officer Abd Hafidz A Rahim.

Thirteen items are listed under the ministry’s ‘Chinese New Year Celebration Price Control Scheme’ this year, effective from Jan 23 to Feb 3 and involving 89 districts in Peninsular Malaysia, 32 in Sarawak, 27 districts in Sabah and one in Labuan.

“That’s five days before the celebration and six days after,” said Naroden.

The 13 items include live fowl priced at RM6 per kilogramme (kg) for wholesale and RM6.70 (retail); standard chicken at RM7.60/kg (wholesale) and RM8.50 (retail); super chicken at RM8.50/kg (wholesale) and RM9.50 (retail); Grade A chicken eggs at RM0.35 each (wholesale) and RM0.37 each (retail); Grade B chicken eggs at RM0.34 each (wholesale) and RM0.36 each (retail); Grade C chicken eggs at RM0.33 each (wholesale) and RM0.35 each (retail); imported round cabbage from Indonesia and China (not including Beijing cabbage) at RM3.50’kg (wholesale) and RM4.50/kg (retail); garlic from China at RM11.50/kg (wholesale) and RM12.50/kg (retail); white pomfret ( between 200g- 400g) at RM35/kg (wholesale) and RM38/ kg (retail); large banana prawns ( between 41- 60 pieces per kg) at RM32/kg (wholesale) and RM35/ kg (retail); pork (belly) at RM17/kg (wholesale) and RM19/kg (retail); pork ( lean and fat) at RM16/kg (wholesale) and RM18/kg (retail).

Under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011, traders who sell controlled goods above the ceiling price could be fined up to RM50,000 (individual) or RM250,000 (company).

Failure to use pink price plates on controlled goods will result in a fine of up to RM5,000 for individuals, and RM10,000 for companies.

Not marking controlled goods with pink price tags comes with a fine of RM25,000 for individuals and RM50,000 for companies.

Any report against errant traders can be made by texting ‘KPDNKK ADUAN’ <your report> and sending it to 15888; email to aduan@ kpdnkk.gov.my; or drop by at any KPDNKK offices nationwide.