SUPP Youth calls for rice and sugar subsidies
KUCHING: The government is urged to provide subsidies or incentives to manufacturers and importers to cushion the impact of price hike for sugar and imported rice.
In making this call, SUPP Youth Central publicity secretary Milton Foo said the price of sugar and imported rice had recently gone up in view of the weakening Malaysian Ringgit.
“Due to the weak currency the cost of sugar has increased so has the cost of imported rice. The government at this particular period should care more and understand the hardship of the people by ensuring that the prices of these daily essential items do not increase.
“The government should provide subsidies or even incentives (such as tax deduction) to manufacturers and importers in order to reduce the costs, rather than to put the burden on the people,” he said in a press statement yesterday in response to the recent increase in prices for sugar and imported rice.
He said the life of most people was getting harder while some of them could be struggling to make ends meet.
“A responsible and caring government has the duty to ensure that the prices of sugar and rice remain unchanged.
“The increase in these prices may also bring about price hike to other items, resulting in high inf lation where people will suffer at the end of the day,” added Foo.
Of late, a national Chinese daily reported that the price of sugar had gone up by 11 sen per kg, bringing the current sugar price at RM2.95 per kg.
The same paper also reported that consumers would have to fork out 10 per cent more than the current cost for every packet of imported rice.