Nanta: Bigger allocation needed for KPDNHEP to continue key programmes

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Nanta makes a stop at a stall selling cooking oil in 1kg packs, during the Keluarga Malaysia Sale 2022 programme at Kampung Bunan in Serian.

SERIAN (Sept 18): The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) is requesting higher allocation under Budget 2023 so that it could continue its focus on people-oriented initiatives such as the price standardisation for Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan, as well as ‘Community Drumming’ which is a programme meant to ensure sufficient supply of essential items in the rural areas.

The minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi expressed hope for next year’s allocation to be higher than the provision under Budget 2022, considering that the global inflation was still affecting the prices of raw materials.

“The world is still going through the post-Covid-19 economic recovery phase.

“And the people are still feeling the negative effects from the pandemic,” he said when met by reporters after officiating at the opening ceremony for the ‘Keluarga Malaysia Sale 2022’ programme for the Kedup state constituency, at Kampung Bunan here yesterday.

Nanta said the Community Drumming programme, in particularly, would need a large allocation to cover the high logistics cost incurred in delivering the basic necessities to many points of sales (POS) in the rural areas.

Moreover, he said other programmes implemented by the KPDNHEP meant to help boost the economy of traders and small entrepreneurs as well as the ordinary citizens in need of subsidies for supplies like chickens and eggs.

“We also need to cooperate with various ministries to come up with measures to deal with inflation, with regard to its impact on essential items such as chicken, eggs and cooking oil.

“We assure that the provision of subsidised cooking oil in packs, priced at RM2.50 per kilogramme, would be continued by KPDNHEP. However, this would require a huge budget because cooking oil prices are based on global pricing of palm oil (and) crude palm oil.”

Budget 2023 is expected to be tabled this Oct 7, earlier than the date on the Dewan Rakyat’s calendar which originally scheduled the presentation on Oct 28.