Rise in cooking oil prices not reasonable, minister told

 

The domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry has clarified that bottled cooking oil is not subsidised by the government.

PETALING JAYA: A former domestic trade and consumer affairs minister has rubbished a minister’s claim that the 100% increase in cooking oil prices since December 2019 is “reasonable”, saying that immediate action must be taken to address the issue.

Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was responding to plantation industries and commodities minister Khairuddin Aman Razali who said that the current market price of RM30 for a 5kg bottle of cooking oil was reasonable given the high price of refined palm oil at the moment.

The domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry had since clarified that only cooking oil sold in polybags were capped by the government at RM2.50 per kg, not bottled cooking oil.

In a statement, Saifuddin, who is PKR secretary-general, proposed several measures to control the rise in the price of cooking oil.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Among others, the Kulim-Bandar Bharu MP said the government should introduce two-tiered pricing for crude palm oil (CPO).

“For export purposes, the price of palm oil is sold according to the market price. For domestic purposes, the government can introduce lower prices.

“That way, not only the price of cooking oil without subsidies will be cheaper but the subsidies borne by the government will be reduced.”

Further, he proposed that the government provide subsidies for all cooking oil supplies in the country.

“If this proposal cannot be made a permanent policy due to cost constraints, the government can implement it as a “one-off”. This measure will immediately lower the price of cooking oil to a level that does not burden the people as consumers.”

He also called for the government to enforce the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act (AKHAP) 2011 by introducing a ceiling price aimed at preventing the continued rise in cooking oil prices in the market.

“Once again, I urge the government to act immediately to make the right decision to address the increase in cooking oil prices which have reached a level that is burdensome for the people,” he added. - FMT