JOHOR BARU – Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub expressed confidence that the price of cooking oil in the market will remain under control if the shortage of manpower affecting local industries is addressed soon.
Salahuddin said that this is based on his discussion with palm oil industrial players, who highlighted their labour predicament recently.
The Pulai MP said that the palm oil industry has indicated its willingness to reduce the market price of its end products should it have ample manpower that, in turn, will help improve its output.
“The cabinet made an important decision last week so that the issue of bringing in migrant labour (to address the manpower shortage) can be resolved quickly.
“The cabinet aims to solve the matter within the next three months.
“We are targeting that, by March, all the industries will have an adequate number of workers, especially the plantation and the construction sectors,” Salahuddin told members of the media after launching a Chinese calligraphy contest held in conjunction with the Chinese New Year at the Paradigm Mall here this evening.
The price of bottled cooking oil is currently regulated under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Determination of Maximum Price for Cooking Oil) Order 2022.
The maximum price of 1kg of bottled cooking oil is RM6.90, RM13.30 for 2kg, and RM19.60 for 3kg, while 5kg is sold at a ceiling of RM30.90. The price ceiling is effective until February 7.
On Tuesday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that employers looking to hire migrant workers from 15 countries can obtain approval for their applications in just a matter of three days.
The 15 countries are Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
The palm oil plantation sector is among the worst hit by the country’s manpower shortage, with 200,000 workers needed to address the problem. – The Vibes, January 14, 2023
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