Kuala Lumpur, 25 May — The government is stepping up its monitoring and enforcement efforts to ensure the prices of essential items remain under control, addressing public anxiety over food supply stability and the rising cost of living.
Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir stated that the government actively tracks weekly price movements. Data collected between May 18 and 21 indicates that domestic food prices have generally stayed within a manageable range, fluctuating between negative two per cent and 3.6 per cent.
“Price movements for major goods, such as chicken, show a current average price of RM9.57 per kilogramme. On a positive note, the price of beef has decreased by two per cent to RM38.45 per kilogramme,” Akmal Nasrullah shared during a briefing on the Global Supply Crisis today. “Conversely, mustard greens saw a notable price increase of 3.6 per cent, rising to RM7.08 per kilogramme.”
The minister noted that despite the price hikes affecting certain items, the government’s assessments show that several localities and business premises continue to offer products at lower, more competitive rates.
He cautioned traders against taking advantage of ongoing economic uncertainty to raise prices unjustifiably. Concurrently, he urged the public to leverage tools like the PriceCatcher mobile application to compare rates and make more informed shopping choices.
“Be smart consumers because purchasing power ultimately rests in your hands,” he remarked, adding that the public can track stock availability and commodity pricing through the newly accessible Supply Crisis Monitoring Dashboard.
Turning to the domestic labor market, Akmal Nasrullah revealed that retrenchment figures rose by 21 per cent in April, with 7,057 individuals losing their jobs compared to 5,855 recorded in March.
While the minister highlighted that April’s retrenchment numbers remain lower than the sharper spikes seen at the start of the year—which saw 10,658 cases in January and 7,512 in February—he stressed that the upward month-on-month trend still demands close administrative attention.
To mitigate these challenges, he assured that the government will ensure the Social Security Organisation’s (Perkeso) Employment Insurance System, known as Lindung Kerjaya, operates at peak efficiency to provide rapid relief and assistance to displaced workers.
-NMT
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