Govt assures flour, sugar prices will not increase

Flour and sugar prices will not increase despite a subsidy rationalisation exercise for RON95 petrol and diesel recently, said Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Hasan Malek.

He said several flour and sugar producers and manufacturers gave this assurance to the ministry at a meeting on Tuesday.

"I am happy when they said that the supply of sugar and flour is sufficient.

"They also agreed not to increase the prices of the commodities and this means traders cannot raise prices at their whim and fancy," he told reporters after closing a workshop on law for price-monitoring observers for penghulu and penggawa from the peninsula, here Thursday.

He said the ministry would also meet producers and manufacturers of other products, including supermarket operators on the same issue.

He said most of them supported the decision to reduce RON95 petrol and diesel subsidies which led to the prices of both fuels to increase by 20 sen a litre.

"They understood that the subsidy rationalisation measure is aimed at strengthening the economy and they agreed to help (by not raising prices)," he said.

Meanwhile, Hasan said that the ministry had conducted 30,538 checks on traders through 'Ops Harga' since the fuel price hike.

He said 157 offences were detected under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 and the Weights and Measures Act 1972 with compounds totalling RM16,530 issued.

"Goods worth RM55,382.20 were seized from errant traders for raising prices, not displaying price tags and selling counterfeit goods," he said.