Reason for palm oil shortage: Only 1 factory in west Sabah

Only one repackaging factory in Kota Kinabalu compared with 24 in places like Sandakan and Tawau.

KOTA KINABALU: The shortage of cooking oil-repackaging factories in western Sabah has become one of the reasons for the delay in the distribution of cooking oil supply to the markets in the area.

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Hamzah Zainudin said only one cooking oil-repackaging factory could be found in western Sabah, namely in Kota Kinabalu, compared to 24 factories found in eastern Sabah, especially in Sandakan and Tawau.

“Being so far away from the supplier has become one of the reasons for the delay in the distribution of cooking oil supply to the western Sabah areas, not because of insufficient supply.

“Based on calculations, the quota of cooking oil supply in Sabah is sufficient,” he told reporters after checking the prices of goods at a supermarket here today.

Also present was Sabah Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Jainab Ahmad Ayid.

Hamzah said a suitable mechanism would be identified soon to expedite the distribution of cooking oil supply to western Sabah. -FMT