The government will go ahead with the licensing of retailers selling sugar, cooking oil and wheat flour on July 1 but has relaxed another condition following protests from the traders.

The retailers will only have to record their purchase of these items from the wholesalers and do not have to keep a register all sales of the products, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.

NONE "It is not our intention to burden anyone because we have removed the bureaucratic red tape, including doing away with the need to record all purchases and sales," he told reporters after opening the Direct Selling Convention and Expo 2010 in Kuala Lumpur.

Ismail Sabri said the ministry had considered all the requests and grievances of various quarters to facilitate the government monitoring of the three controlled items to check any hoarding or shortage.

"In a move to enable traders to secure the licence, registration counters will be open on Saturday and Sunday and our officers will also go down to the ground nationwide to distribute the application forms and approve the licence immediately," he said.

He said the ministry had issued about 10,000 licences to retailers nationwide, and so far four states - Selangor, Perak, Sarawak and Pahang - registered the most number of applications for the two-year licence.

Boycott looms

Ismail Sabri advised the Federation of Sundry Goods Merchants Associations of Malaysia to call off its planned boycott of the three items from June 15 as a protest against the licensing.

On direct selling, he said the ministry was identifying direct-selling companies with potential to go global through the holding of international seminars and exhibitions.

"The ministry is targeting a cumulative annual sales value of RM5.5 billion by direct-selling companies this year, with the potential to progress to RM7.6 billion in 2012," he said.

- Bernama