Mogan inspecting the price of the cooking oil at one of the premises.
KUCHING (Aug 2): The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) Sarawak has conducted inspection on a total of 56 business premises statewide yesterday, said its chief enforcement officer Mogan Arumugam.
He said this was done to ensure the compliance with the maximum retail prices set by the government for pure palm cooking oil in bottled packaging, which took effect yesterday.
“Continuous monitoring and inspections will be done daily in the city, rural and inland areas by 179 enforcement officers and 101 price monitoring officers in KPDNHEP Sarawak branches statewide to ensure compliance on the maximum prices of the cooking oil and ensuring the supply of basic items are controlled and stable,” he said in a statement today.
On July 27, KPDNHEP had announced the set maximum retail prices for pure palm cooking oil in bottled packaging, with the assurance that consumers can obtain the commodity at under RM30 for a five killogramme (kg) bottle.
The maximum retail prices for palm cooking oil is set at at RM29.70 for a 5-kg bottle, RM6.70 for 1kg, RM12.70 for 2kg and RM18.70 for 3kg. These prices were set under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Maximum Pricing for Cooking Oil) Order 2021.
The price control was implemented following Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s announcement that the government was committed to helping ease the people’s cost of living and tackling the issue of a rise in crude palm oil (CPO) price in the world market, which impacted the price of unsubsidised pure cooking oil in the local market.
Meanwhile, Mogan said a total of 41,913 business premises consisting of plantations, manufacturers, importers, producers, retailers and wholesalers were inspected from Jan 1 to Aug 1 this year, covering both city and rural areas.
He added that the ministry has recorded a total of 841 cases, involving total seizures of RM1,803,675.19 and compounds of RM87,300.
Consumers can channel complaints to the ministry through various means, including email at e-aduan@kpdnhep.gov.my, its call centre at 1800-886-800, or via WhatsApp message to 019-2794317.
Alternatively, visit or call the KPDNHEP office in Kuching (082-466 052), Sri Aman (083-323 836), Sarikei (084-657 751), Sibu (084-329202 ), Kapit (084-799 678), Bintulu (086-332 176), Miri (085-412 862), Limbang (085-217 414), Mukah (084-87 2726) and Lawas (085-283 650).