Hamzah (right) with his deputy Datuk Henry Sum Agong during a press conference to announce the list of goods under the price control scheme for CNY in Putrajaya. — Bernama photo
PUTRAJAYA: The Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry (KPDNKK) has listed 13 items under the Festive Season Price Control Scheme in conjunction with the Chinese New Year on Jan 28 and 29.
Its minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the price control scheme would be effective for 12 days, from Jan 23 to Feb 3 including the festival day.
The items are live chicken, standard chicken, super chicken, grade A, B and C chicken eggs, imported round cabbage (Indonesia and China, excluding Beijing cabbage), garlic (China), white pomfret, large prawns and pork, he said.
“Traders are required to sell the 13 items at below the maximum price with the special pink price tag to differentiate them from other goods,” he said at a media conference to announce the list of goods here yesterday.
He said the festive price control scheme involved 89 districts in the peninsula, 32 districts in Sarawak, 27 districts in Sabah and one district in Labuan.
According to Hamzah, the scheme was implemented so that consumers could obtain the essential goods during the festive season at reasonable prices and to prevent hefty price increases.
He said the prices were set based on the monitoring of prices in all districts in the country in 2016, views from various government agencies and discussions with producers, importers, suppliers and wholesalers of such goods.
Those who failed to adhere to the regulations under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 can be fined up to RM100,000 or jailed up to three years or both.
The individuals involved could also be compounded up to RM50,000 while the company involved could be fined up to RM500,000 or RM1 million for second offence or a compound of up to RM250,000.
He stressed that KPDNKK with the cooperation of the people throughout the country would be aggressively monitoring to protect consumers against excessive profit-taking activities by errant traders.
Hamzah said consumers and traders can check the prices of the items in KPDNKK website at www.kpdnkk.gov.my. — Bernama