11 Items Listed Under Price Control Scheme For CNY 2011

LABIS, 23 Jan (Bernama) -- Eleven controlled items, including pork, have been listed under the Price Control Scheme in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration to ensure traders do no manipulate their prices.

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that effective this year, traders were no longer required to apply for a licence to sell the items.

The reason being that it was reported that the regulation only inconvenient the traders because of the short enforcement period, which was less than two weeks, he told reporters after a visit to the Labis Market on Sunday.

Ismail Sabri said the 11 controlled items listed were chicken (including live chicken, standard chicken and super chicken), chicken eggs (grade A, B and C), imported round cabbage, white pomfret, large white prawns, pig intestine, pork and lard.

The price for live chicken is RM6.10 per kg, standard chicken (RM7.20/kg), super chicken (RM8.05/kg), grade A chicken (36sen each), grade B chicken egg (35sen each), grade C chicken egg (34 sen each), round cabbage imported from Indonesia and China, except Beijing (RM3.20 per kg)/per kg).

The price for other items are white pomfret (RM38.00 per kg), large white prawn (RM33.00 per kg), pig intestine (RM22.00 per kg) and pork and lard (RM16.00 per kg).

He said the prices were based on the price in Kuala Lumpur and that the price lists in other areas and states would be distributed to traders and wholesalers soon.

"During the price control period, traders are not allowed to sell above the ceiling price," he added.

Ismail Sabri reminded traders to display the items listed with pink price tags to differentiate them from the uncontrolled items, adding that action could be taken against those who failed to do so.

On the opposition harping on the increase on prices of goods in the campaign for the Tenang by-election, he said there was no increase in prices of essential items like cooking oil, flour and rice.

"So, the promise by the opposition that they will be able to reduce the price is baseless," he added.

The Tenang state by-election is called following the death of its incumbent Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblyman, Datuk Sulaiman Taha, last Dec 17.

The by-election, which polling is on Jan 30, will witness a straight fight between BN's Mohd Azahar Ibrahim, 39, and Pas' Normala Sudirman, 38.

-- BERNAMA