JOHOR BAHRU: Four items, - fertilisers, maize, soya beans and pesticides - have been proposed for inclusion as controlled items as the government continues its efforts to control the rising price of essential items in the market.
Johor Unity, Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Dr Chong Fat Full (pix) said the proposal was made following a meeting with the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) yesterday, after they studied the factors leading to rising prices of essential items.
He said rising prices were also influenced by the prices of the four items that they identified.
“It’s like the foreign exchange rates, we cannot control (that), but what we can control are the items that enter our country, such as the cost of fertilisers and such.
“Currently, (monitoring and enforcement of) the whole chain is not perfect yet (due to external factors beyond our control like this),” Dr Chong told reporters after checking on the Keluarga Malaysia Maximum Price Scheme at a supermarket here today.
As such, he said the state government, through the Johor KPDNHEP, would submit the proposal to the ministry as soon as possible as it also covered the jurisdictions of other ministries such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries.
On the decision of the federal government to ban the Chingay procession, he said the state government concurred with the decision, which was made by after considering the situation with the new Covid-19 variant.
Nevertheless, the state government was open to consider any suggestion of suitable standard operating procedures (SOP) for the Chingay festival, whether on a small scale or virtually and other alternatives, he added. — Bernama
