Minister in the economic affairs minister Mustapa Mohamed said the government was aware that food prices, including those of chicken, seafood and vegetables, had increased.
“Realising this, the prime minister has instructed all ministries to take immediate action according to their responsibilities,” he said in response to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s original question on whether the prime minister would take immediate action to tackle the issue.
Mustapa said the statistics department had also been told to monitor the daily prices of essential food items and to report any changes to the government.
Anwar Ibrahim has questioned the delay by Putrajaya to tackle the steep price increases of basic food items.
Anwar questioned the PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob after Mustapa Mohamed told the Dewan Rakyat that the prime minister will chair the National Action Council on Cost of Living meeting on Dec 9.
Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat that government agencies should take immediate steps to tackle the problem, saying farm and wholesale prices differed greatly.
In the response to Anwar, Sabri is said to have given permission to import chicken as a temporary measure to cover the shortage of chicken supply in the market and allocate RM262 million to assist farmers and ranchers affected by the increase in fertilizer and pesticide prices.
The government was aware lately that the price of some basic necessities especially chicken, some vegetables and fish have increased significantly.
All Ministries were also directed to take immediate action to address issues related to their respective areas of responsibility and made the decision on the import of chickens and assistance to farmers be rendered,
