SUNGAI PETANI: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) received a total of 105 complaints regarding subsidised cooking oil in Kedah between January and October.
The ministry's Kedah branch director Muhammad Nizam Jamaludin said of the total, 14 cases have been acted upon under the Supply Control Act 1961 and the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.
"There were eight offences related to the Supply Control Act 1961, including refusal to sell controlled goods; manufacturers, wholesalers, or retailers failing to comply with the controller's directives; engaging in wholesale, retail, or manufacturing of any scheduled goods without a licence; wholesalers selling controlled goods to persons/parties without a licence/authorisation letter/written permission; and wholesalers failing to maintain or lacking a stock record book for controlled goods.
"Another six offences fall under the Price Control & Anti-Profiteering Act 2011, involving failures to display labels, tags, or signs on items showing the price," he told reporters after inspecting the Deepavali 2024 Festive Season Maximum Price Scheme (SHMMP) compliance at a hypermarket here today.
For the 2024 SHMMP, effective from Oct 28 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).
Nizam added that in total, Kedah KPDN has received 1,443 reports since early this year involving various issues including subsidised cooking oil, online transactions, prices, controlled items, misleading services and workshops.
"We have also received 25 complaints regarding price hikes, with four cases have been investigated under the Price Control Act and Anti-Profiteering Act.