KOTA KINABALU – Warisan’s move to produce state-owned cooking oil products when it was in power has proven to be beneficial to Sabahans, said Warisan vice-president Datuk Junz Wong.
The Tanjung Aru opposition assemblyman said that although the spike in crude palm oil prices would be good for smallholders and palm oil estate operators, the whole country however will be affected by the rising prices of palm oil-based cooking oil.
“The people are burdened by higher cooking oil prices, on top of a bad economy partly caused by the emergency and movement control order.
“It is clear from all of this that the cost of living has gone up,” he said in a statement here today.
The former agriculture and food industries minister said the rise in crude palm oil prices have pushed the prices of many peninsular Malaysia-based cooking oil brands.
However, local Sabahan cooking oil brands were not affected.
The prices of the brands such as Red Eagle, Vesawit, Neptune, and Buruh have risen from RM20 to close to RM30 for a 5kg bottle, while the prices of Sabah-owned cooking oil brands BESS and Gold remain at around RM21.
Wong said that while the government hands out billions of ringgit in aid, it was also making more money from the higher prices of goods, especially essential goods.
“The government should find ways to reduce the prices of essential goods, especially during these difficult times.
“Do not blame the retailers and suppliers for the higher prices of goods in the market,” said Wong, adding that the government had been slow in taking action.
Sabah began producing its own cooking oil in 2020, following the opening of the BESS cooking oil refinery in Tawau, the GOLD factory in Sandakan, and the Onsoi factory in Keningau in September. – The Vibes, January 22, 2020
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