Families of five to pay RM100 more annually

A FAMILY of five will have to fork out about RM100 more for cooking oil per year after the rationalisation move by the Government, the De­­wan Rakyat was told.

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said
the ministry estimated that one person consumed about 1.5kg of cooking oil per month and this averaged RM2.25 per person.

“If it is for a family of five, it will be about RM10 per month and an average of RM100 per year, whereas the mineral water that they buy and drink everyday exceeds the price of the cooking oil,” he said in reply to a question from Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Bagan) during the minister's Question Time.

Lim asked the Government to clarify whether the claim that families will have to pay an average of RM50 per person a year to purchase cooking oil was true.

Effective this month, consumers will have to pay market price for bottled cooking oil but those sold in bags remain at RM2.50 per kilo.

To an earlier question from Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (BN-Tanah Merah), Hamzah reiterated that the Government had not abolished the cooking oil subsidy but instead put in place a rationalisation plan.“There is still subsidy for cooking oil but the Government introduced a rationalisation plan so that the quota will reach the targeted group,” he said.