Day: August 29, 2022

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 (Bernama) — The ceiling price of RM9.40 per kilogramme for local whole fresh chicken will not be raised after Aug 31 while the three sen subsidy for eggs will remain, said Task Force on Jihad Against Inflation chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa.

He said the Cabinet also agreed that only certain farms rearing chickens specifically for export can begin exporting after getting approval from the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry (MAFI) in October.

Annuar, who is Communications and Multimedia Minister, said the latest Cabinet decision did not have an end date because the government would monitor the overall chicken output and export volume before making any decision.

“So, before the Cabinet makes a new decision, the one I announced today will continue to be in force after Aug 31,” he told a news conference after chairing a meeting of the task force here today.

On July 30, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) secretary-general Datuk Azman Mohd Yusof was reported to have said that the mechanism for implementing the RM9.40 ceiling price in Peninsular Malaysia might not be continued after Aug 31 as supply was getting more stable by the day.

The government had earlier fixed the price of grade A eggs at 45 sen each, grade B at 43 sen each and grade C at 41 sen each effective July 1 for a two-month period.

The government has also banned the export of chicken beginning June 1 this year after a shortage of supply caused a hike in price.

However, it was reported that there is now an oversupply of chicken, prompting breeders to urge the government to lift the export ban.

Annuar said the Cabinet had discussed breeders’ request for a resumption of export but felt that priority should still be given to the domestic market, adding that a bit of oversupply can help to bring down prices.

“When price drops, we cannot reduce supply. So export will not be allowed if it involves taking from the production for domestic consumption.

“For domestic use, imported chicken is allowed. Chicken produced directly from various farms should continue as such. We understand there is a demand from importing countries, and we have the capacity at certain farms in some states to export,” he added.

He said the Cabinet agreed that only certain farms can export chicken with conditions and in stages, after getting approval from MAFI.

“This means the number of chickens to be taken out needs MAFI’s approval. It should not affect the output meant for consumption in the country.

“Only certain farms designated for producing chicken can start breeding now for export purposes. But they cannot reduce the existing output or import that has been allowed,” he said.

Annuar said the task force would closely monitor this mechanism to ensure that there is always a sufficient supply of about 70 million chickens per month or 2.3 million birds daily to meet domestic needs.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KOTA KINABALU, Aug 29 (Bernama) — The Sabah government is ready to face the Northeast Monsoon season, which is expected to be from November to next February, by mobilising a total of 8,432 officers and personnel from various agencies in the state.

State Secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong said a total of 928 land and 206 water transport vehicles as well as air logistics had been identified and prepared to tackle floods due to the monsoon.

For areas that are difficult to access via land route, Safar said a total of 75 helicopter landing sites had been provided, including in areas near temporary relief centres to facilitate the evacuation of residents and delivery of aid to victims.

“In addition, a total of 608 flood hotspots in Sabah have also been identified,” he told reporters after chairing the Sabah State Disaster Management Committee meeting to discuss preparations to face the monsoon at Menara Kinabalu here today.

Also present were Sabah Civil Defence Force director Mohtar Samat and National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) operations division deputy director Rusli Ibrahim.

Safar said all district officers, who are also District Disaster Management Committee chairmen, have been instructed to be prepared to activate the Disaster Operations Room in their respective districts at any time.

The Sabah government, he said, was always monitoring such issues and taking appropriate steps together with the relevant departments and agencies to ensure the disaster management machinery at all levels could run smoothly.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

GEORGE TOWN, Aug 29 (Bernama) — A teenage girl died after falling from her residence on the 11th floor of a condominium in Persiaran Bayan Indah, Bayan Baru, near here today.

The victim’s mother found her 13-year-old daughter’s body on the roof of the condominium’s parking area at about 6.30 am before alerting the authorities.

A Penang Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) spokesman said the department received an emergency call at 6.48 am before deploying a team from the Bayan Baru Fire and Rescue Station to the scene of the incident.

“We found the victim’s body on the roof of the first floor of the parking area and believe the teenager fell from the 11th floor of her condominium residence.

“The victim’s body was brought down from the roof and examined by a team from the Health Ministry (KKM) who found that the teenager had died. The victim’s body was sent to Penang Hospital for an autopsy,” he said when contacted today.

Meanwhile, the Southwest district police chief Supt Kamarul Rizal Jenal when contacted confirmed the incident and said his team is conducting further investigations.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 (Bernama) — The government’s intervention through subsidies and price control has helped to rein in inflation in Malaysia wherein the country could have registered a higher inflation rate than the 4.4 per cent headline inflation in July, economic experts said.

Deputy vice chancellor of research and graduate studies at i-CATS University College Professor Datuk Dr Shazali Abu Mansor said many essential items listed in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket such as chicken, eggs, sugar, rice (selected types) and cooking oil are either subsidised or controlled items via price ceiling measure.

“Most of the daily necessities are controlled goods such as rice and sugar. Intervention by the government greatly helps in reducing our inflation, which keeps it under control,” he told Bernama.

Earlier, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed announced that Malaysia’s CPI increased by 4.4 per cent year-on-year to 127.9 in July 2022 compared to 122.5 in the same month of the preceding year.

Meanwhile, economist Manokaran Mottain said the 2.8 per cent aggregate inflation year-to-date came in within Bank Negara Malaysia’s forecast level.

On a monthly basis, inflation increased 0.4 per cent in July 2022 as compared with June 2022.

Compared with other ASEAN countries such as Indonesia with inflation at (+4.9 per cent), the Philippines (+6.4 per cent), Singapore (+7.0) and Thailand (+7.6 per cent), Malaysia’s inflation is considered low.

“The real inflation number is not reflective of the current situation because a lot of items in the CPI basket are controlled items and subsidised items. Overall, we can still take comfort.

“However, these interventions by the government with subsidies and price controls have helped us to have a lower increment in inflation,” he said.

Manokaran pointed that rice, bread and other cereal category have increased by 5.5 per cent in July compared with 4.2 per cent in June, whereby a tighter intervention by the government is required to make staple foods cheaper and affordable for the people.

“Perhaps the government should sit together with the major supermarkets and hypermarkets to persuade them to have their own brands at reduced prices.

“At the moment, I think they do have this but it needed to be expanded to a wider scope, especially those items bought by the B4 community,” he explained.

On inflation outlook for the second half of 2022, MIDF Amanah Investment Bank Bhd believes the moderate downward trend in global commodities prices might ease Malaysia’s food inflation pressure.

For example, Malaysia’s crude palm oil price, among others, has moderated from above RM6,000 per tonne in early June 2022 to below RM4,000 in July 2022, it said.

The investment bank has kept its average CPI forecast unchanged at +2.8 per cent for 2022.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

SINGAPORE, Aug 29 (Bernama) — Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has detected E. Coli, at levels exceeding the microbial limits for Ready-To-Eat food stated in the Singapore Food Regulations, in a mooncake product originating from Malaysia.

SFA said as a precautionary measure, it has directed the importer, Easy Mix Pte Ltd, to recall the implicated product – My Mum’s Cookies Premium Mao Shan Wang Snowskin Mooncake (Vegan).

“The recall is ongoing,” SFA said on its Facebook page today.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 (Bernama) — The Special Task Force on Jihad Against Inflation has instructed the Keluarga Malaysia Cheap Sale (JMKM) Programme in 629 state legislative assembly constituencies to be fully implemented by all ministries entrusted with it by Sept 15.

Its chairman, Tan Sri Annuar Musa said this was because the implementation of the sales programme at the JMKM centres, which began on Aug 19, has, so far, not been encouraging.

“Reports tabled by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) found the overall performance to be still less than 50 per cent… this is not good enough.

“The committee wants to see in two weeks’ time (for it) to reach 100 per cent. Now, there are ministries which have only achieved 30 per cent, some 60 per cent and 40 per cent, due to the various problems they faced during implementation,” he said.

Annuar, who is also Communications and Multimedia Minister, said this at the media conference after chairing the Special Task Force on Jihad Against Inflation meeting here today.

He said a total of 21 JMKM programmes at public university campuses would also be implemented within the next two weeks (until Sept 15) to ease the burden of students during these challenging times.

“Only thing is that on campuses, the students may not purchase raw materials like chicken and oil, but they need Internet data services, writing equipment and food.

“So, we will leave it to the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives to see what are the items commonly used by the students as well as use the same (JMKM) mechanism so that students can purchase at discounted prices,” he said.

Meanwhile, Annuar said the Cabinet had agreed to approve the review of scholarship rates under the Rural Development Ministry (KPLB), especially Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), for all students, both domestic and overseas.

He said the government also took note of other government-related scholarships, including the Public Service Department (JPA), to ensure the increase of the scholarship rate was in line with the rise in the rate of inflation.

“So, it will be coordinated between the ministries and what KPLB recommended for MARA students has been approved by the Cabinet and the details will be announced by the relevant ministry.

“… in principle, taking into account the cost of living for domestic and foreign students, the Cabinet agreed for the scholarship rate to be increased and then adjusted,” he said.

On the country’s inflation situation, Annuar said that based on the month-to-month inflation rate comparison, the increase in inflation for July was moderated to 0.4 per cent compared to 0.6 per cent in June.

“The trend of higher inflation compared to last year is a global phenomenon that almost all countries are going through.

“The inflation rate for July 2022 compared to July 2021 for the United Kingdom is 10.1 per cent, European countries (Euro) (8.9 per cent), the United States (8.5 per cent), Thailand (7.6 per cent), Singapore (7 per cent), the Philippines (6.4 per cent), Indonesia (4.9 per cent) and our country (4.4 per cent),” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency