Monsoon floods: Ensure sufficient supply of necessities - Nanta Linggi

PUTRAJAYA: The Jihad Against Inflation Special Task Force wants ensured sufficient supply of necessities in states expected to be affected by floods and no hike in the prices.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister, Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) and the relevant agencies must also ensure this.

Nanta who chaired the task force meeting here today, said Nadma, the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry and his ministry must ensure no price increase of basic necessities in the flood-affected states.

He said preparations in facing the floods were made in line with the announcement made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on activating the District Disaster Management Committees (JPBD) in facing the northeast monsoon.

"These include increasing stocks and the logistical plan for distribution to the flood-affected states such as for ROVR petrol supply, diesel and so on.

The northeast monsoon usually brings heavy rain which often results in major floods, especially in the East Coast states. The Meteorological Department Malaysia (MET Malaysia) predicts that the northeast monsoon 2022/2023 season will be from November 2022 until March 2023.

Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang are expected to experience heavy rain from this November to December while Johor, Sabah and Sarawak could experience it from this December until January next year.

Nanta said that currently, the price and supply of chicken and eggs of grade A, B and C were found to be stable.

"There is continuous monitoring at all levels -- distribution, wholesale and retail -- to ensure price stability," he added.

Meanwhile, Nanta said that currently, there was no need for the government to create a buffer stock for crude palm oil (CPO) in view of the world market price being stable currently and according to the projection, the CPO price would be down a little this October until December.

He said the government would continue the engagement with industry players and the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities over the feasibility of determining two price levels, especially for domestic consumption constituting less than seven per cent of the country's CPO output.

He also noted that for the period of July 1 until last Saturday (July 11), his ministry's enforcement teams had inspected 345 packaging companies, and wholesale (2,203) and retail outlets (25,493) for subsidised cooking oil in polybags.

"From the inspections, 140 cases were recorded, with 52 of these involving misappropriation by wholesalers.

"The preliminary investigations found the elements of hoarding of supplies, failure to record in the procurement books and selling subsidised cooking to unlicensed individuals or premises," he said.

On the Keluarga Malaysia Cheap Sales Programme (PJMKM), Nanta said that until last Saturday (Sept 10), the programme had so far been held in 512 state constituencies across the country.

-- BERNAMA