SHAH ALAM - Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli has failed to present the actual factors behind the increase in food prices.
Pas information chief Khairil Nizam Khirudin said whether it was due to lack of supply, the rising costs or increase in demands, there were no new and concrete solution provided by the minister.
Commenting on Rafizi’s statement on the increase of prices of food items, Khairil said the former did not touch on the overall drastic measures to reduce the consistency of the inflation rate of the food and non-alcoholic beverages subsector, which reached 7.3 per cent in November.
This, he said was a large part or 30 per cent of household expenses.
"The prices of food items prices are irrational and require stronger intervention and enforcement by the government. Not just telling people to eat less chicken.
"The targeted subsidy mechanism was mentioned by the Prime Minister on the first day of his administration but has not yet been implemented. Rafizi only repeated the same thing.
Khairil who is also Jerantut MP said Rafizi also did not touch on the issue of increase in the price of eggs and chicken, which might be caused by breeders who experienced problems such as increase in production costs and capital flow or due to monopoly and supply manipulation.
"The egg supply issue may be resolved but the main problem for the people is the rising prices and effort to overcome the monopoly issue remains unanswered.
In a press conference on Friday, Rafizi said consumers were advised not to buy items sold by traders that exceeded the average price.
Previously, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government imported 100,000 eggs on Dec 15, as a measure to cover the needs and demands of the local market, and also to control the price.