KOTA KINABALU – Vegetable and fruit sellers here and in Penampang have expressed their unhappiness at the state government for their perceived inaction in curbing the rise of supply prices of such goods, said a former state agriculture minister.
Datuk Junz Wong, who is also Tanjung Aru assemblyman, said the problem arose due to a price surge in farming materials such as fertilisers, which had roughly gone up by 100%.
“This is due to the fact that the prices of fertilisers have increased tremendously and the situation is not managed by the government.
“Normal fertilisers have increased from RM98 per 50kg bag to RM180. That’s about a 100% increment.
“Natural fertilisers from chicken manure had also increased from RM2.50 per kg to RM4 per kg, on top of an additional 50 sen for transportation charges,” he said, following a dialogue with vegetable sellers at the local market here and in Penampang today.
Wong, who did not elaborate on the hike in vegetables, said the GRS-BN government in Sabah will pay dearly in the coming elections if they don’t address the matter seriously.
He had served as the Sabah agriculture and food industries minister during the reign of the Warisan-led Sabah government between 2018 and 2020.
He is also Warisan vice president, which is the main opposition party in Sabah at present.
The Vibes had earlier reported hikes in the prices of vegetables, poultry and construction materials last year, and in response, Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee said it is due to a global price increase in fertilisers, pesticide and animal feed, with Sabah unspared due to its dependency on imports of such materials. – The Vibes, June 20, 2022
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