MELAKA – The office of the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry Melaka has limited the number of purchases for some high demand items ahead of the return of the movement control order (MCO) for two weeks from tomorrow.
State Unity, Community Relations, Human Resources and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Ismail Othman said purchases of items like white bread, chicken, eggs, sugar, flour and rice in all supermarkets and retail shops statewide will be limited.
He said this is to prevent a repeat of the situation which occurred during the first MCO in March last year, when shortages of these essentials were reported.
He said a notification letter on the matter had been distributed to all business premises, involving about 8,000 retail traders as well as shopping malls, supermarkets and petrol stations.
“This initiative is done to control resources so that there is no panic buying among consumers and ensure that they buy according to their needs.
“For example, Gardenia brand bread is the best-selling item and is in demand by consumers during the MCO, so we limit purchases to one pack per family and this applies to bread for other brands too,” he told reporters after conducting a survey at a supermarket in Ayer Keroh in here, today.
Ismail said buyers also did not need to panic because the results of monitoring carried out by the ministry found that the supply of goods in all retail sectors is sufficient while all business operations involving manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers were still functioning as usual.
He said the situation was different when the MCO was first implemented on March 18 last year which saw most business premises being forced to close and affecting essential goods in the market.
The monitoring of these essential goods involves 140 selected district retailers, 58 selected district wholesalers and also a number of mini stocks from the latter list consisting of goods dealers throughout the state who acted as suppliers and distributors.
“Therefore, consumers are advised to avoid buying panic because it can contribute to the lack of supply of essential goods in the market,” he said. – Bernama, January 12, 2020
