SANDAKAN – Sabah’s two-week dearth of sugar supply in several districts is expected to be solved tomorrow as 300 metric tonnes of the sucrose will be reaching the city.
The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry’s Sandakan chief Mohamad Hashim told The Vibes that the shipment from Peninsular Malaysia to Sandakan will be distributed to four districts: Sandakan, Telupid, Kinabatangan and Beluran.
Despite the two-week delay, he said locals do not need to panic as sugar supply in the district is still sufficient.
“Sugar from three main suppliers in Sandakan (Kon Dar Hong, Chung Kwong, and Uktraco) will have 371 metric tonnes of sugar arriving in Sandakan tomorrow, while 75 metric tonnes of sugar from Sabarice will arrive on Tuesday,” he said.
He said that the ministry has been receiving reports from supermarkets and retailers about the lack of sugar supply over the past two weeks, but necessary arrangements were made to ensure continuous sugar supply is directly available to consumers here.
“We have arranged for suppliers to send sugar supplies to supermarkets and retailers that have run out of sugar. Consumers and retailers who face problems in getting supply could contact (the ministry) directly for assistance,” he said.
However, other than sugar, locals have also reported a lack of eggs in the market.
While the supply of eggs falls under the jurisdiction of the Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry, Hashim said from inspection on his side, egg supply to Sandakan was normal and said the lack of supply could be due to mass purchase for food baskets.
“The Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry would have a full report on the factors behind these reports (of lacking eggs supply). But we strongly advise those who want to buy food essentials (in bulk for food baskets) including sugar and eggs to purchase directly from suppliers, instead of retailers like the supermarkets,” he said.
Last Saturday, The Vibes reported that the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister had told NGOs and charities to stop buying essential food items from retailers, and instead buy directly from suppliers to avoid lack of supply for mass consumers.
The Vibes is confirming if the lack of egg supply in Sandakan is related to the Jalan Membalua cluster in Tawau involving a chicken farm which started on July 8.
Sandakan’s eggs are sourced locally from within the district as well as from Tawau, estimated to be about 150,000 a day. – The Vibes, July 15, 2021
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