Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said higher petrol prices is not the main factor behind higher costlier food.
 
After visiting the Kuala Lumpur Wholesale Market today, Khairy concluded that rising food cost was due to short supply coupled with bad weather.
 
“I wanted to understand the supply chain for vegetables, fruits and seafood and the profit margin of farmers, fishermen, wholesalers and retailers. 
 
“From my visit, I found that the rise in petrol pump prices has only slightly affected the price of items at the wholesale market. 
 
“For example, a container transporting these goods sustain a cost increase of only 50 sen to RM1 due to petrol prices,” he was quoted by Bernama as saying.
 
As such, the Umno Youth chief, the perception that subsidy cuts is the main factor for rising food prices is untrue.

Umno Youth to keep consumers informed

He said that to assist the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry, Umno Youth Consumer Squads in each state will inform consumers of the latest prices so as to not fall prey to retailers that take advantage of the situation. 

Separately, MCA vice president Chua Tee Yong ( left ) called for a study, results of which would be published to help inform customers on what constitutes a reasonable price hike.

“For example, a plate of char koay teow is selling at RM4.50 now compared with RM3 per plate three years ago, so is 50 percent increase in price a reasonable price hike?

“Hence, it is important to publish the outcome of the studies to help the people to understand reasonable price hike as well as to help in the enforcement of the Anti-Profiteering Act,” he said in a statement today.

He also called on the government to work on mitigating the price hike, such as boosting agricultural production and giving tax incentives for food outlets.

Meanwhile, in another statement, Gerakan vice president A Kohilan Pillay ( right ) urged the government to implement a ‘wage correction’ policy to ensure that salaries keep up with the rising cost of living.

“We believe the little growth of wages is not sustainable in the long run and a change to the existing wage structure is vital to improve the overall welfare and well-being of the Malaysian society so we are not a high income nation in name only.

“Malaysians deserve better salaries and the government must deliver on it,” he said today.

 

Currently, there is a debate on whether government policies have led to higher food prices.
 
On Sunday, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said that his administration is being unfairly criticised for rising food prices, which he blamed on the weather.  
 
"I read in the newspaper that some prices have come down. Kangkung price once went up and now it is down.
 
"When the prices come down, why are there no praises for the government? When it goes up, the government gets the blame,” he told a crowd in Kemaman.
 
The premier's poor choice of words and timing has led to him being mocked while his ministers scramble to contain the fallout.