KUCHING, May 22: The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) will present a proposal on inter-ministerial efforts in line with the removal of approved permits (APs) at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow (May 23).
KPDNHEP minister Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the proposal would cover several basic aspects under the ministry’s jurisdictions.
“The Cabinet meeting, which was expedited and moved to tomorrow (from the weekly Wednesday meeting), is very welcomed. It will determine government intervention to address issues involving daily necessities, especially chicken.
“The intervention should be based on inter-ministries and ‘whole of government’ (approaches), ensuring measures are not done in a silo without continuity,” he said in a statement today.
He said the Cabinet’s decision to abolish the APs, as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, was in line with the government’s aim to ensure sufficient supplies.
The AP abolishment is expected to trigger an excess of supplies in the market, thus benefitting consumers, said Nanta.
He also said the market for essential items would be more competitive, and a drop in prices is expected, depending on specific quantum and quality and packaging aspects.
“Further announcements by the PM to expand the decision to do away with the AP requirement to cover other necessities was timely, given the current situation.
“Desperate time calls for desperate measures. This is because the global market is driven by various contingency factors such as foreign currency exchange and the Russia-Ukraine conflict that drastically impact the chain,” he said. — DayakDaily
