Thirteen items have been placed under the Festive Season Price Control Scheme in conjunction with Christmas on Dec 25.

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Ismail Yaakob said the price control would be enforced from Dec 23 to 27 in 146 areas.  

“The scheme will allow consumers to obtain essential goods at reasonable prices,” he told reporters at parliament in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said listed under the scheme were live chicken, standard chicken, super chicken, imported turkey, local mutton with bone, imported lamb with bone, imported lamb without bone, imported lamb thigh with bone, Grade A, B and C chicken eggs, tomato and green Benggala cili or bell pepper.

“The maximum retail prices for controlled items in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya for live chicken is RM5.90 a kilogramme, standard (RM7), super (RM7.80), imported turkey (RM25), local mutton with bone (RM33), imported lamb with bone (RM20), imported lamb without bone (RM24), imported lamb thigh (RM26), Grade A chicken egg (RM0.36), Grade B egg (RM0.35), Grade C (RM0.34), tomato (RM4.50 a kilogramme) and green benggala cili (RM8.50),” he said.  

He said traders must use a pink price tag to differentiate the controlled items from other goods.

Ismail said traders selling at prices higher than the stipulated prices risked a RM100,000 fine and a three-year jail or a compound of RM50,000 under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2010.

“Companies could be fined a maximum RM500,000 or compounded up to RM250,000,” he said.

Ismail said a trader could be fined up to RM10,000 or compounded up to RM5,000 while companies could be fined up to RM20,000 or compounded up to RM10,000 under the same act, if they failed to display the pink price tags.

However, Ismail said the prices of the controlled items differed in other states.

The public could obtain a price list for the respective states by calling the toll free line 1-800-886-800.

He said consumers could also lodge complaints to the ministry against errant traders through e-mail at e-aduan@kpdnkk.gov.my or go personally to its offices.

- Bernama