KUCHING, Sept 5 — The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) Ministry has no plans to remove the ceiling price on 3-ply face masks, currently set at 70 sen per piece.
Its minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said that the face masks are being sold as low as 20 sen per piece, which meets the quality set, and this shows that the country has reached a stage where sellers can sell it much cheaper than the ceiling price.
“We are not worried about the price of face mask. There are no cases where people are selling it above 70 sen per piece. So there is no issue.
“In KPDNHEP, we have not considered ending the ceiling price. Because we don’t know what will happen in the future. If demand increases, it may become a problem in terms of price and supply if the ceiling price is removed. So we maintain it at 70 sen (per piece),” he said when met after conducting a price check of the Covid-19 self-test kits at a pharmacy at The Spring Shopping Mall today.
The retail ceiling price for 3-ply face masks was reduced to 70 sen per piece from RM1, while the wholesale ceiling price for masks was also reduced to 65 sen from the previous 95 sen effect Nov 1, 2020.
The ceiling price is enforced through the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.
Also present at the price check were KPDNHEP state director Datuk Stanley Tan and Shine Pharmacy managing director Charles Liew. — Borneo Post
