Govt to cut price of three-ply mask to RM1 each

Ministry ‘ready to reduce further in future’

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will reduce the price for three-ply face masks to RM1 each, says Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi.

He said the wholesale price for the threeply mask would be at 95 sen per piece.

However, no date was given on the starting date of this new price. This was a further reduction from the RM1.20 price announced by Alexander last week.

Recapping the government’s move to lower the cost of masks, he said that the maximum retail price was initially lowered from RM1.50 to RM1.20 and that this was to be enforced on Aug 15, he said.

“The (gradual) reduction in the price of face mask is a soft landing approach to ensure stocks that were brought in at a higher cost, due to air transport, can be sold to reduce importers’ losses due to the decrease in price.

He said the ministry was also ready to further reduce the ceiling price in the near future.

“The government hopes these measures can help ease the burden of parents who need to provide face masks to their schoolgoing children, as well as for the public,” he told Chong Chieng Jen (PH-Stampin) who had asked about the matter.

Alexander explained that on April 1, the ministry gazetted the maximum retail price of the three-ply mask at RM1.50 a piece, and RM1.45 for wholesale.

He said the decision was made then after taking into consideration the feedback from manufacturers and operators.

Among others, they had cited the low supply of face masks to cater to consumer demand; the high cost of air transportation faced globally due to Covid-19, and the increase in the cost of raw imported materials due to the value of the ringgit compared to the US dollar.

He said the ministry appreciated the efforts of local manufacturers who had backed the government’s move and helped ensure the availability of face masks.

Alexander said the ministry, together with the Finance Ministry, had also worked to increase the supply of face masks in the local market by giving exemptions on import duty and sales tax to manufacturers and importers of face masks.

He noted that it has been compulsory for everyone to wear face masks in crowded public areas from Aug 1.

“Following that decision, the demand for face masks had increased. As a caring government, I would like to state that the supply of face mask is sufficient at the moment,” he said.

He said that the production of face masks was also being increased, adding that the price of face masks sold by manufacturers was also going down.