[ad_1]
KUALA LUMPUR: The increase in the price of Indian onions in the market is due to the floods in India, which caused a shortage of supply, Dewan Rakyat was told.
Vice Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Rosol Wahid said consumers should opt for other options such as onions from China, Thailand and Myanmar.
“We admit that there was an increase in the prices of Indian onions, where at one point, it went up to RM13 to RM18 per kg.
“We know that Malaysians love Indian onions and, coincidentally, India is now experiencing flooding.
“So the supply is lower. When there is less supply but high demand, prices will definitely go up,” he said in his budget 2021 settlement speech at the committee stage.
Consumer groups have expressed concern about the sharp rise in the price of red onions following an export ban on the items in India due to the country’s flooding.
Rosol said that as an alternative, consumers should buy onions from other countries.
Datuk Mahfuz Omar (PH-Pokok Sena) intervened and said the ministry should do more to offer alternatives in the market, especially in rural areas.
“The question now is that the only onions available on the market are Indian onions.
“There are no other options in varied stores.
“How can people in rural and kampung areas like Pokok Sena make a decision when they only have one choice?
“The ministry must put in place a mechanism to control expensive items on the market,” he said.
Regarding enforcement activities, Rosol said that the ministry had conducted a total of 2,300 inspections of business premises across the country to ensure that prices did not rise, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We know that the public is now overwhelmed and many are unemployed.
“While people are suffering, we will make sure that the prices of the items do not go up,” he said.
[ad_2]
