SUNGAI BESAR (June 12): The government, through the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP), will conduct a study to set a ceiling price for 5kg bottled cooking oil based on current market prices.
Deputy Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid said his team will also discuss the recommended ceiling price with both the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities and the Ministry of Finance (MoF).
“Meetings will be held on how to overcome this problem (increase in cooking oil prices).
“We will see the decision (adjustment of the ceiling price of cooking oil) in the meeting later,” he told reporters after visiting and inspecting cooking oil supplies and compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) here today.
He said cooking oil had experienced a price hike due to an increase in crude palm oil (CPO) prices.
“I assure you that the government is working hard to ensure that people are not affected by the Covid-19 situation,” he said.
Rosol also denied an opposition representative’s claims that the 1kg oil subsidised by the government is recycled oil.
He also said that a total of 590,876 business premises, including petrol stations, restaurants, supermarkets and shopping malls, had been inspected to date.
“There were 346 compounds issued on offenders who did not comply with the prescribed SOPs. KPDNHEP issued 160 compounds during the total lockdown period from June 1 to 11 (yesterday), involving a total value of RM1.091 million.
“Based on statistics, the compliance rate of the distribution trade sector was satisfactory, with 98.52% of premises complying with the SOPs set, while 0.1% of premises were issued with compound notices. The remaining 1.32% were let off with a warning,” he added.
Meanwhile, he said that about 50% of KPDNHEP enforcement personnel had been vaccinated through the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK).
Rosol said the ministry had requested for the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) to include its personnel as vaccine recipients.
He added that there are currently 2,200 KPDNHEP enforcement personnel nationwide.
“Priority will be given to them as they are always in contact with members of the public,” he said, adding that vaccination had been given under Phase 2 of PICK, which began on April 19.
Read also:
Govt to provide fuel, cooking oil subsidies of up to RM8b this year, says Tengku Zafrul
