Who is profiting from these expensive vegetables? CAP urge Fama to take action

SHAH ALAM - Consumer Association of Penang (Cap) calls for the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) to investigate and monitor the distributions of vegetables in the country.

Its President Mohideen Abdul Kader also urged the Fama to take control of vegetable marketing and eliminate the profiteering middlemen since there was a huge gap in the selling price of vegetables especially tomatoes nationwide.

"Today, I checked the price of tomatoes from a Cameron Highland farmer is only RM5.50 per kg but traders in the market are selling at a price of RM11.00 to RM14.00. So who gets the profit?

"Cap calls on the Enforcement Division of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living to investigate the above price increases.

"This is because average income earners will be badly affected by escalating prices of goods, and should do a crackdown on traders who hike their prices excessively, violating the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2010," he told Sinar Daily.

Mohideen highlighted that Malaysia Federation of Vegetable Farmers Association and the ministry had stated that the uncertain weather conditions caused a drastic increase in the price of vegetables.

However, he said Cap had also been repeatedly urging for Fama to take control of the marketing and distribution of vegetables in the country to eliminate middlemen profiteering.

Prices for several vegetables in the country faces upward trend especially for tomatoes, which was initially sold at RM4 per kg and now at RM9 per kg.

Prices of tomatoes peaked during Chinese New Year when it went up to RM11 per kg.

Sinar Daily’s check on Fama's official website shows that tomatoes are sold at RM8 per kg in the market, wholesale (RM6.95) and farm at (RM3).