Some retailers hiking sugar price

NO SUGAR: Agatha at her shop.

LIMBANG: Consumers here are fuming that certain retailers are taking advantage of the ‘sugar crisis’ in the country by selling the commodity at high price.

Most supermarkets, retail shops and ‘tamu’ have run out of sugar over the past week.

There were unconfirmed reports of hoarding by certain retail shops and this commodity is being secretly sold to favoured customers at an exorbitant price of RM2.50 per kilogramme.

Agatha Umbau, 52, a trader at the ‘tamu’ told The Borneo Post of the difficulty of getting the commodity from suppliers.

According to her, the scarcity of sugar began after the long Gawai Dayak holidays.

“We had ordered fresh supply of sugar from suppliers but until now have yet to receive any supply. Of course our customers are disappointed that they cannot buy sugar from us,” said Agatha.

Meanwhile, local supplier Syarikat Chop Poh Huat told The Borneo Post that lying in their premise was at least 5 metric tonnes of sugar for sale to consumers.

Meanwhile, the branch head of the ministry of domestic trade, cooperatives and consumerism Sayed Nizam Sayed Zahari reported that 50 metric tonnes of sugar arrived in Limbang yesterday.

Out of that amoung, 25 metric tonnes each were distributed to Limbang and Lawas districts to meet the demand for this commodity.

Sayed advised consumers not to panic buy, and assured that the supply of sugar would shortly return to normal.

He said the ministry was resolving the problem of shipment of this commodity to the division.

Borneo Post by Lucas Jalong Bato
June 17, 2010, Thursday