Kota kinabalu: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) has announced plans to develop a Price and Supply Repository System as part of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), aimed at enhancing the government’s ability to monitor price and supply chains. Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali highlighted that the system would allow for comprehensive monitoring from production to retail, thereby addressing price inflation issues.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the system will facilitate the detection of price manipulation by middlemen, ensuring more effective oversight. KPDN will work alongside various ministries, including the Economy and Finance Ministries, to implement this initiative. Armizan made these statements at the MADANI Nationhood Seminar, organized by Akademi Kenegaraan Malaysia at the International Technology and Commercial Centre (ITCC).

Armizan emphasized that the system is expected to not only fortify the food supply chain but also pinpoint areas within the distribution process where price hikes or manipulations occur. Concurrently, a study into the price discrepancies in Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan was initiated this year, with a distinct Price Stability Committee established for each region to address these concerns.

The committee, co-chaired by Armizan and Sabah Minister of Community Development and People’s Well-being, Datuk James Ratib, is tasked with evaluating key items in Sabah, such as chicken prices. Armizan noted that Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has already delivered a preliminary report for Sabah and Labuan, while Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) is conducting a similar study for Sarawak.

UMS’s initial report identifies five essential items that could be addressed in the short term to alleviate price issues, with further phases of the study to follow upon review of these initial findings.