KUCHING: The nationwide Price Standardisation Programme of the federal government will continue to benefit the rural people as they can buy essential goods at prices that are more or less the same as in urban areas.
Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi said the programme introduced in 2009 was where the government absorbed the cost of transportation of essential goods so that the prices could be the same as those in urban areas.
“The concept of this programme is that the cost of transportation is absorbed by the government mainly to help those who live in remote areas whose cost of living is high because of the cost of transportation,” he told reporters in a press conference after launching ‘Taste of Malaysia @ Bumi Kenyalang Programme’ at Vivacity Megamall, today (July 4).
Nanta, who is also Kapit MP, said for instance, essential goods sold in Song Town could be sold at the same prices in Hulu Engkuah, Kapit.
“If the transportation of goods is by waterways, it will take up three to four hours, thus the transportation cost will be high.
“Therefore, this programme will be able to help especially the B40 groups so that they can buy essential goods at the prices that are not made high by transportation costs,” he said.
He said the programme was considered successful because every year the government spent a few hundred million ringgits to implement it throughout Malaysia and it was focused more on the rural areas of Sarawak and Sabah.
“But now as we have more and more roads in Sarawak, the prices of these essential goods in those remote areas may get cheaper.
“So, while there is a big gap between the prices between the remote areas and the towns, this programme I believe will still carry on,” he said.
