KOTA BARU: The government will continue to crack down errant traders who are hoarding or diverting subsidised cooking oil as well as storing the commodity in unlicensed places.
Task Force on Jihad against Inflation chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the move was important to put a stop such unethical activities.
"Like what l have said before, the government via the relevant agencies such as the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) will continue to combat such wrongdoings.
"So far, the government is satisfied with the efforts undertaken by the ministry as well as other agencies in preventing our subsidised cooking oil including the 1kg polybags from going across the border.
"But we will not hesitate to change the existing quota system distributed to cooking oil re-packers or improve the system in future," he said.
Annuar who is the Communications and Multimedia Minister told this to reporters after handing over certificate of appointments to 71 Kelantan Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) Digital Economy Centre (PEDi) chairmen here today.
He praised KPDNHEP enforcement personnel for its seizure of cooking oil and related items worth RM2.4 million.
"This is really an enormous success for the ministry in combating the misappropriation of cooking oil," he added.
The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry seized cooking oil and related items worth RM2.4 million in integrated operations conducted from July 1 until yesterday.
Its director-general of enforcement, Azman Adam today said during this period, 126 cases involving various offences related to cooking oil were recorded nationwide.
He said the offences included the misappropriation of packet cooking oil that was resold in bottles and the supply of cooking oil to ineligible and unlicensed parties.
Apart from this, he said there were traders who were caught hoarding or diverting and storing supplies of such goods in unlicensed places.
Azman also said that since the establishment of the Task Force on Jihad against Inflation last June, 16,562 premises had been inspected through a special operation under the Ops ATM (Chicken, Chicken Eggs and Cooking Oil) while inspections had also been carried out on 729 repackaging premises, wholesalers and retailers.