KUALA LUMPUR: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) is committed to monitoring the prices of goods through a daily deployment of over 900 officers covering nearly 1,500 premises.
Its acting minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said this includes wet markets, hypermarkets, supermarkets, mini markets and retail across the country.
"The ministry today conducted inspections and price monitoring of goods at premises nationwide.
"The inspection aims to assess the current situation regarding the sale of chicken following the termination of subsidies and price controls on chicken, effective today," he said in a statement.
Armizan said the ministry deployed enforcement officers to conduct inspections under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723) to monitor the floating chicken prices based on current market prices and ensure there are no unreasonable price increases.
Meanwhile, he said the government is still maintaining subsidies and price controls on Grade A, B, and C chicken eggs using the existing mechanisms under the Maximum Price Determination for Chicken Egg, which came into effect today (Nov 1).
"The implementation of controls under the Maximum Price Determination for eggs applies to controlled goods at all levels, including production, wholesale, and retail, which includes the use of a pink plate label, which is also enforced under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Control of Prices for Controlled Goods) (No. 5) 2023," he added.
He said individuals may be fined up to RM100,000 for a first offence, imprisoned for up to three years or both for the second and subsequent offences.
"Companies may be fined up to RM500,000 for a first offence or fined up to RM1 million for the second or subsequent offences.
"The ministry also strongly advises all traders to always comply with applicable regulations and laws by clearly displaying prices and using calibrated weighing and measuring instruments.
"Consumers are also encouraged to fully utilise the Price Catcher mobile application when shopping to compare prices and plan their purchases sensibly," he said.
On Oct 30, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu announced that subsidies and price controls for chicken would be discontinued from Nov 1.
He said the termination of chicken subsidies has taken into consideration the current supply and price trends, and the cost of chicken production has begun to stabilise, contributing to the current market prices being below the ceiling price.