Prices of daily necessities expected to stabilise by January

BUKIT MERTAJAM: The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) expects the price of daily necessities to fully stabilise by January.

Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid said monitoring and inspection carried out found that the price of goods has begun to stabilise with vegetables showing a drop in prices.

"The stable prices such as vegetables are due to several factors such as the weather in the production area is getting better.

"Besides that, the Malaysian Family Sales Programme (PJKM) which offers daily necessities at prices up to 20 per cent cheaper than market price and efforts to import frozen chicken are also among the factors prices are stabilising, we expect by January or February (prices of goods) to stabilise again," he told reporters here today.

He was met after launching the PKJM which was held at the Seberang Perai Tengah District Mosque (SPT), in Perda which was also attended by Penang KPDNHEP Director Mohd Ridzuan Ab Ghapar.

Commenting further, Rosol said the PJKM which was launched on Dec 2 by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had been implemented in 15 parliamentary constituencies nationwide so far and as of yesterday, sales revenue from the programme amounted to RM423,844.

He said the programme, planned for twice a month, received encouraging response from the public.

"As of yesterday, a total of 28,000 visitors had attended the programme to buy daily necessities such as chicken, fish, eggs, vegetables, cooking oil, sugar, flour and rice," he said.

He said the implementation of PJKM, conducted by KPDNHEP, was held as a government initiative to help ease the cost of living, especially among those with low incomes and to address the situation of rising prices of goods.

"The programme is implemented in all 222 parliamentary constituencies nationwide until March next year, and if there is a need after that we may continue but even if the prices have stabilised we will continue to monitor the situation," he said.

-- BERNAMA