Geographical factors and the high cost of shipping are among the main factors behind the high prices of goods in Sabah and Sarawak, a federal minister said today.
Armizan Mohd Ali, the minister of domestic trade and cost of living, said two technical committees will be established to formulate more specific and targeted strategies on prices.
He said the decision was made following the presentation of findings from studies conducted by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Bernama reported.
“Initial findings indicate that one of the main factors contributing to the high prices of goods in both states is the high logistics cost of transporting goods from Peninsular Malaysia,” he told reporters in Miri.
Although certain goods are cheaper in Sarawak compared with Peninsular Malaysia, the prices of most daily necessities remain higher, due to geographical factors and shipping costs.
Armizan said chicken prices in Sabah would be among the initial areas of focus. He said studies had found that chicken prices remained high despite the presence of many local chicken farms.
In addition, basic goods such as sugar are also a concern, as Sabah and Sarawak do not have their own sugar refineries, further contributing to higher costs, he said.
With the establishment of the technical committees, the government would develop long-term action plans to strengthen food security and stabilise prices in Sabah and Sarawak, he said.
