KANGAR: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) has detected a slight shortage of subsidised cooking oil in the state ahead of the Deepavali celebrations this Thursday.
However, consumers need not worry, as bottled cooking oil is still widely available in the market.
Perlis KPDN branch director Hasbullah Abd Rashid said checks at several shops and supermarkets across the state have shown that the supply remains steady, despite the slight shortage.
"If we observe the situation in other states, this may also be occurring here, and from our monitoring and inspections of wholesalers and retailers selling cooking oil, we found that supplies are still available, though slightly reduced, as wholesalers are sourcing (cooking oil) from alternative suppliers as well.
"So, if less supply is received, it means less is available in the state, but it hasn't led to a complete shortage or any critical impact on cooking oil availability, as the supply is still present.
"While it may not be in the form of subsidised packeted cooking oil, bottled cooking oil is still widely available for sale across the state," he told reporters after monitoring the Festive Season Maximum Price Scheme (SHMMP) at a local supermarket here.
Present was the state Consumer Affairs and Cost of Living Committee chairman Razali Saad.
Hasbullah added that the sale of subsidised cooking oil at retail levels is also being limited to control supply and demand.
He said the ministry is also monitoring any increase in spice prices in the state ahead of the festival, as seen recently in Penang.
"From our inspections up until yesterday across various shops and markets, no price increases have been observed for spices commonly used for Deepavali dishes, such as curry powder and other essentials.
"Also, until yesterday, we had received 135 complaints, and after review, none were related to price increases for spices. Instead, the complaints mainly concerned issues such as traders not displaying price tags.
"Of these complaints, 134 have been resolved, so nearly all have been addressed.
"While there have been no complaints about spice price increases in the state, we will continue monitoring for any such rises," he said.
For the 2024 SHMMP, effective from yesterday until Nov 3, eight goods are placed under price-controlled, including imported bone-in mutton, tomatoes, red chilies, whole coconuts (wholesale level maximum price), grated coconut (retail level maximum price), small red onions (India), large imported red onions, and split peas (Australia).