KUALA LUMPUR: Eight food items will be placed on the price control list for seven days under the Deepavali Festive Season Maximum Price Control Scheme, says Deputy Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Fuziah Salleh.
The items are staple ingredients in Indian cuisine such as imported big red onions, small red onions from India, red chillies, imported lamb meat with bones, Australian dal beans, grated coconut (retail level only), whole coconut (wholesale level only) and tomatoes.
Fuziah said the price control scheme, which began yesterday, will run until Nov 15.
Items under the scheme would be labelled with a pink price tag to help consumers identify them, she added.
“The implementation period of this scheme is aimed at helping guarantee price stability for both consumers and retailers.
“It is also to ensure Malaysians are able to celebrate Deepavali without being burdened financially,” Fuziah said during the scheme’s launch at a Lulu hypermarket here yesterday.
She said the price limits had been determined after discussions with the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, government agencies and industry players.
She announced that the scheme would be enforced through the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011, in which those found selling the items above the controlled price could face up to RM500,000 in fines.
“Over 2,200 enforcement officers and 900 price monitoring officers from the ministry would be deployed to monitor the prices of these items at public markets, farmers’ markets and retail outlets nationwide,” she added.
The maximum prices of the items under the Deepavali price control scheme can be viewed on the ministry’s website at www.kpdn.gov.my.
Consumers can lodge complaints via WhatsApp (019-279 4317 / 019-848 8000); the ministry’s portal at http://eaduan.kpdn.gov.my, the call centre at 1-800-866-800, by email to e-aduan@kpdn.gov.my, its mobile app or enforcement operations room at 03-8882 6088 / 6245.
In accordance with the festive spirit, Lulu hypermarket also contributed another 100 food baskets to the ministry for distribution under its ongoing Bakul Rahmah initiative.
