PUTRAJAYA,  April 21 (Bernama) -- The 2022 Hari Raya Puasa Festive Season Maximum Price Scheme (SHMMP) will be implemented for 11 days from April 26 to May 6, involving 22 types of goods, announced Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MDTCA)  Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi today.

He said the scheme, enforced under the Price Control and Anti -Profiteering Act 2011, would be implemented to stabilise the price of goods and their supply during Ramadan and the Hari Raya Puasa celebration, which falls on May 3.

The items involved under the 2022 Hari Raya Puasa SHMMP Hari Raya Puasa included those categories as seafood, dried goods, vegetables and meat.

"The effective period for the 2022 Hari Raya Puasa SHMMP is seven days before the festival, on the festival day and three days after the festival day," he said when announcing the scheme at the ministry here today.

Nanta said 22 items listed under the 2021 Hari Raya Puasa SHMMP  local beef (except the tenderloin), imported beef (maximum price for Sarawak only) and imported buffalo meat (maximum price for the Peninsula, Sabah and the Federal Territory of Labuan only).

For the fish category, they are mackerel, including mambong ; selayang (sardine),  aya/ tongkol fish and Demudok/ Sagai/ Cermin/ Cupak (for Sabah only).

For the vegetable category, the items are tomatoes; red chillies; imported round cabbage (from Indonesia and China and does not include Beijing cabbage); long beans; long eggplant; cucumber; imported old ginger, imported large red onions; Holland onions; garlic (from China); dried chillies; groundnut; coconut (wholesale only) and grated coconut (retail only).

On chicken not included in the list,  Nanta said it was due to the implementation of the Maximum Price of Chicken and Chicken Eggs last Feb 5, which is still in force until June 5.

The National Action Council on Cost of Living (NACCOL) on food production industry at a special meeting last Jan 31 decided to reduce the maximum retail price for standard chicken by 20 sen to RM8.90 from the RM9.10 ceiling price.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who chaired the meeting, said the price of chicken eggs for all grades would remain the same as the current control price of the Malaysian Maximum Family Price Scheme (SHMKM).

Meanwhile, Nanta said the MDTCA determined the maximum price at manufacturers, wholesalers and retail levels based on information from several sources, including through price monitoring in all districts throughout the country in 2021 and in January to April 2022 .

Apart from that, he said the price was also determined after obtaining the views of various relevant government agencies such as the Malaysian Agriculture Department, Veterinary Services Department (JPV) and the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), as well as information from manufacturers, importers, suppliers and wholesalers.

"The determination of the price of goods for the states is made according to the current market price and takes into account the factors of price changes, especially for imported goods that are influenced by prices in the country of origin, changes in currency exchange rates and increased utility costs for farmers," he said.

Nanta said traders who failed to comply with the 2022 Hari Raya Puasa SHMMP could be taken action under  the Price Control and Anti -Profiteering Act 2011, which provides a maximum fine of RM100,000 or imprisonment for up to three years or both or compound of up to RM50,000 on traders caught selling price-controlled goods in excess of the maximum price.

For companies, the maximum fine is RM500,000 or compound of up to RM250,000, while for failing to display the pink price tag on price -controlled items, individuals can be fined up to RM10,000 or compounded up to RM5.000, while for a company, the fine is up to  RM20,000 or compound of up to RM10,000.

— BERNAMA