KUCHING, March 23: The government has implemented a programme to distribute essential goods and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and the Price Standardisation Programme to ensure that the prices of food items are the same in urban and rural areas.
Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub said the programmes were initially implemented in 2009 to bear the high cost of transportation of seven subsidised/controlled goods from suppliers to inland areas in the states of Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak.
“The seven types of goods involved are white rice, coarse white sugar, wheat flour, palm cooking oil (1kg packet), LPG, RON 95 petrol and diesel.
“Through this programme, the government bears the cost of transportation for the goods from the supplier to the Points of Sale (POS) to the distribution area in the interior,” he said in a statement, as reported by the Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas) yesterday.
Salahuddin said this in a written response to an oral question by a member of the Senate, Senator Dato Dr Nuing Jeluing, which was not answered in the Dewan Rakyat here on Tuesday (March 21).
“The programmes had a positive impact in helping to ease the burden of the cost of living for residents in selected distribution areas.
“This would also make it easier for residents to obtain supplies and for them to purchase supplies of the seven of essential goods at the same price as in the city,” he said. — DayakDaily
