PUTRAJAYA – The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry denied allegations that local beef traders suffered losses due to the ceiling price set under the Festive Season Maximum Price Control Scheme (SHMMP) for Hari Raya Aidilfitri of RM34 per kilogramme.
Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi said traders could still profit throughout SHMMP’s implementation period.
Nanta said the ceiling price was the result of a comprehensive study at all levels, including manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers, besides ensuring that all parties could still make a profit.
“There is no denying that the profit margin may not be the same as before SHMMP’s implementation, but that should be able to be accommodated by the festive season’s high demand,” he said in a statement today.
Nanta said the ceiling price only involved beef parts that are in high demand among consumers, while other parts such as bones, liver, spleen, stomach, intestines, tail, tenderloin, “daging harimau menangis” (bottom sirloin), and parts of meat removed from veins and fat were not included in the SHMMP ceiling price.
He said traders are allowed to sell any of the parts at a reasonable price while consumers wishing to purchase premium meat parts should be ready to pay a premium price.
Traders can be investigated under the Price Control and Anti-Monitoring Act 2011 if there are elements of profiteering.
According to Nanta, the monitoring conducted by the ministry’s enforcement team revealed some traders were selling for lower than the maximum price, between RM27 to RM32 per kilogramme, adding that 99.2% of 38,299 retail premises, as well as wholesalers, comply with the maximum price ruling.
He said so far only 12 traders have been compounded and one trader was still being investigated for violating the ceiling price ruling. – Bernama, May 11, 2021
