IPOH: Consumers can expect the prices of many essential items to increase by as much as 10% next month.
Federation of Sundry Goods Merchant Associations of Malaysia president Lean Hing Chuan said sundry store owners would have no choice but to raise the prices of goods not controlled by ceiling prices to survive the effects of the fuel price hike.
Lean said canned food and other items with plastic packaging were likely to be sold at a higher price but declined to disclose the actual list of goods.
“Goods transported long distance by lorries are also expected to increase by at least 10%,” he said on Sunday after the 87th anniversary luncheon of the Perak Sundry Shops Guild.
Earlier during his speech, Lean urged the Government to open up more vacant land for cultivation and have measures for rice-producing states like Kedah to improve rice production per hectare.
He also expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the government’s move to place colour stickers on rice sacks enabling consumers to differentiate between price-controlled rice and imported rice.
By CHRISTINA KOH
The Star 08/06/08
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