GEORGE TOWN – Penang opposition chief Datuk Muhamad Yusoff Mohd Noor said Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid should not have dismissed the news on vegetable price hikes as hearsay but should have gone to the ground and inspected the prices himself.
“Of course, there are reasons why there is a price hike, some say it is because of the rainy season, some say it is because of the spike in demand.
“We experience it, we see it when we go to the market to purchase vegetables, there is definitely a price hike. Even if the prices of some items have not increased by a lot, there is still an increase.
“Getting cooking oil is also difficult nowadays.
“I don’t agree with the excuse that was given by the deputy minister, dismissing it as hearsay,” the Umno assemblyman for Sg Dua said during the state assembly sitting this morning.
He advised relevant ministries to investigate the matter and find out why there is a sudden increase in raw material prices and solve the issue.
Other reasons for the price hike, he speculated, may be due to middlemen or retailers who hoard stock so the items can be sold at a higher price later.
He also requested the state government to get involved in finding out why there is an increase in raw food items.
“The state should work with the federal government to solve this issue as soon as possible,” he added.
Last week in Parliament, Rosol rubbished claims by the Consumer Association of Penang (CAP), which claimed that there has been an exorbitant hike in vegetable prices recently. He accused CAP of believing in hearsay.
Penang Island Vegetable Wholesalers Association chairman Tan Ban Ben later said the prices and supply of vegetables are largely determined by the weather.
He said prices will decrease once the rainy season is over. – The Vibes, November 29, 2021
