The Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry will deploy over 300 enforcement officers to see that traders comply with the 2017 Hari Gawai Festive Season Price Control Scheme (SKHMP).

Its deputy minister Datuk Henry Sum Agong said these enforcement officers would be assisted by 112 price monitoring officers to curb traders from selling the controlled items above the ceiling price set.

"We urge traders to follow the directive issued. We are not out to penalise them but if they break the law, action will be taken against them.

"For this purpose, over 300 enforcement officers and 112 price monitoring officers not clad in uniforms, will be going round and sending in reports in the government''s effort to ensure sufficient food supply for the festival celebration," he told reporters during a visit to a supermarket, here, today in conjunction with the SKHMP Hari Gawai.

He said during the implementation of the scheme last year, eight cases of not displaying the pink price tags on the controlled items were detected.

Henry said individuals who failed to comply with the price control regulations could be fined up to RM100,000 or jailed for up to three years, or both, or imposed a compound of up to RM50,000. For companies, the fine is up to RM500,000 and the compound up to RM250,000.

For failing to display the pink price tags on controlled items, individuals face a fine of up to RM10,000 or compound of up to RM5,000, while it is up to RM20,000 or RM10,000 respectively for companies.

The SKHMP Hari Gawai, effective from today until June 2, has set the wholesale and retail prices on 13 types of controlled items.

These are live chicken, standard chicken, super chicken, old live chicken, chicken wings, chicken egg Grade A,B and C, garlic (from China), pork (stomach), pork (meat and fat), live pig and round cabbage (Indonesia and China). - BERNAMA