The ceiling price of 5kg bottled cooking oil capped at RM34.70 for Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan effective Aug 8 is deemed reasonable to most food stall operators in the city, whereas some feel that the move may not affect them much.
KUCHING (Aug 4): The recent announcement of the ceiling price of 5kg bottled cooking oil capped at RM34.70 for Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan effective Aug 8 is deemed reasonable to most food stall operators in the city, whereas some feel that the move may not affect them much.
Paul Tiong, who sells Sri Aman-style fried noodles, thinks that the price cap of RM34.70 is definitely better than the ones that were sold at more than RM40.
Paul Tiong
“As one who uses a lot of cooking oil in my food business, the price cap is reasonable and I can still operate my business without hiking the price of food at the moment.
“If it (the cooking oil) is priced at RM40 or above, it will be difficult for us. We may need to hike our prices and I believe our customers will not like that,” he said when interviewed by The Borneo Post at his shop located at Queen’s Court here.
Also welcoming the price cap was Jesias Majang, who sells fried pork snacks at a shop located at Jalan Wan Alwi, saying he has seen 5kg bottled cooking oil being sold at more than RM40.
He expressed relief that the price of cooking oil had not gone up so much as it would mean a hike in his prices.
Jesias Majang
“It is not an easy decision for us (food business operators) to hike the price of our food. If the price of cooking oil hikes, then I have to hike the price of my food too and I might lose customers because of that,” said Jesias.
For ‘kueh chap’ seller Dylan Tan, he said he has not felt much of the impact of rising cooking oil prices as he does not have to use much cooking oil in his dishes.
However, he believes that the move to implement RM34.70 as the ceiling price of 5kg bottled cooking oil will help local food businesses survive during these times of economic difficulties.
Dylan Tan
“The relevant authorities need to set the right ceiling price of cooking oil for the people and this price, to me, is reasonable,” said Tan, whose stall is located at TT3 Tabuan Tranquility.
Palima Ngadan, who sells barbecued meat skewers at Queen’s Court, commented that the setting of ceiling price for cooking oil is a good move.
Palima Ngadan
“Although I don’t use a lot of cooking oil for the dish that I sell, I certainly do not like it if I have to pay more for meals at other shops due to the increasing price of cooking oil,” he said.
Chris Zafri Hill, who sells Mexican-style food, said traders who buy cooking oil in large quantities will feel the pinch the most if the price of bottled cooking oil is not controlled.
Chris Zafri Hill
“I usually buy small bottles and I don’t think my business will be impacted much. The price is more or less the same for me all this while,” said Chris, who operates a stall at Jalan Chan Chin Ann here.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi on Tuesday announced the ceiling price for 5kg bottled cooking oil will be capped at RM34.70 for Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan effective Aug 8, similar to Peninsular Malaysia.
He noted that the mechanism to determine the ceiling price is based on the simulated sales price of pure cooking oil at retail level, taking into consideration current developments of crude palm oil at global markets.