MUKAH: There was a slight shortage of red onions in town here yesterday (Oct 5), while the ones sold at most shopping centres were still sold at a reasonable price.
New Sarawak Tribune discovered that three major shopping centres here were running out of red onions, which are sold between the prices of RM8.90 and RM11 per kilogramme.
However, one shopping outlet was found to be selling it at a much higher price, likely due to its quality.
Staff members at the shopping centres acknowledged the current shortage of red onions, but were unsure of when more would be coming in.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs Mukah branch head Salihin Den explained that there is currently no ceiling price set for red onions, as its price is controlled only during festive seasons.
He added the slight increase in the price of red onions was due to transportation problems from other countries, which caused a delay in the supply side.
“The ceiling price was set for controlled goods only,” he said.
According to him, the ministry has not received any reports yet on the shortage of controlled and essential goods in Mukah.
Salihin pointed out that so far local traders are complying with the price set and were not selling beyond the gazetted ceiling prices.
He said if consumers come across traders selling goods exceeding the gazetted price, they can report to the ministry through its official channels so that prompt action could be taken.
