MIRI: There have been no reports of sugar hoarding activities in Miri Division.And this has been acknowledged by the local office of the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry.
According to the ministry, no sugar wholesaler has been found committing the offence during the sugar crisis by the ministry’s enforcement team constantly on the ground to monitor the situation.
Assistant enforcement chief Jubin Janggong said wholesalers had been very supportive and adhered strictly to the ministry’s rules and regulations to make Miri Division free from sugar hoarding problem.
“They’ve cooperated well. This shows their seriousness in helping the authorities to help solve the sugar crisis in this division,” Jubin said.
He warned that hoarding sugar was a serious offence and the ministry would not hesitate to act against offenders.
Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Deputy Minister Datuk Tan Lian Hoe was reported to have said that the ministry would revoke their licences if sugar wholesalers were caught in the act.
She was quoted in a national English daily as saying that so far the government had no plans to further raise the sugar price, thus traders should not hoard the essential item.
Touching on sugar supply in Miri Division, Jubin told The Borneo Post that there was sufficient supply to meet the needs of the consumers, not only during the festive season but also on ordinary days.
“There is never a shortage problem in this division, and there is always enough supply for the consumers.
“We received 436 tonnes of sugar on Monday from Kuala Lumpur, so there is more than ample supply to cater to the local needs,” he said.
Jubin said each person consumed an estimated minimum of one-and-a-half kg of sugar a month.
He reminded consumers not to stock up sugar at home.
On a related matter, he said despite the hike in the price of sugar, the prices of drinks here remained normal.
He advised coffeeshop owners to display the prices of their drinks or risk being booked.
He said his ministry’s enforcement team as well as the price monitoring officers would continue to check on shops in the division from time to time to ensure traders did not break the relevant laws by jacking up the prices of sugar and sugar-based products indiscriminately.
Asking the public to inform the ministry if wholesalers or retailers refused to sell sugar at the price set by the government, he assured that his ministry would act on complaints received and take action against the culprits.
The public may call the ministry’s local hotline – 085-412862 – from 8am to 10pm daily, including weekends and public holidays.