I remebered many years ago the government was campaigning this slogan, No sugar LESS salt.
why need so much sugar. Malaysians, please change your habits. Too many habits are bad.
The Star Online > Nation
Tuesday June 13, 2006
Sugar crunch cause found
By ROYCE CHEAH and LOONG MENG YEE
PETALING JAYA: The “hunt” is on and it is not for money or gold, but sugar.
The current sugar shortage came about because industries were buying up the stock at the subsidised rate meant for consumers (RM1.40 a kg), leaving practically nothing for the man-in-the-street.
With hypermarkets limiting sales of sugar packets to customers and sundry stores having their quotas reduced, the sweet commodity is getting increasingly rare on the shelves.
In Shah Alam sugar is “flying off” the shelves in certain areas because the controlled price of this item makes it cheaper here than in neighbouring countries, said Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs deputy minister Datuk S. Veerasingam.
Industrial users had been taking advantage of this situation by bulk-buying the commodity in recent months, but their action had eaten into the supply meant for local consumers.
“This situation is both good and bad. Good because the heavy buying by industrial users indicates they have brisk business for their products and this creates more employment opportunities.
“Bad because the heavy buying of sugar reduces the supply meant for local consumers,” Veerasingam told reporters after he and several top-level ministry enforcement officers visited the Central Sugar Refinery plant here yesterday.
There had been a surge in demand for sugar in recent months.
”Many are buying from wholesalers who are supposed to deliver the supply to consumers at the controlled price,” said Veerasingam, who has directed a stop to this practice.
He also called on consumers not to go on a panic-buying spree, as this would aggravate the situation.
He said the ministry was working hard to ensure sugar supply remained plentiful for the coming festive months from October to February next year.
Veerasingam added that a manufacturer in Perlis had only been producing at 50% of its capacity (6,000 tonnes) for the past two to three months as bad weather had reduced the sugarcane harvest.
“The other three manufacturers have agreed to increase output to make up for this shortfall.”
Federation of Sundry Goods Merchants Association of Malaysia president Lean Hing Chuan said the situation was particularly serious in Terengganu, Perak and parts of Selangor.
A distributor claimed that sugar refiners had reduced his supply quota by about 40%.
Carrefour corporate communications and public relations manager Yuswanis Yusof said the hypermarket was not facing any serious sugar shortage.
Consumers finding it difficult to buy sugar can report their problems to the ministry hotline at 1-800-886-800 or operations room at 03-8882 6083/5/8.
Related Stories:RM10,000 sugar seized in KedahIt’s a wild goose chase for some people
ฉ 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)
why need so much sugar. Malaysians, please change your habits. Too many habits are bad.
The Star Online > Nation
Tuesday June 13, 2006
Sugar crunch cause found
By ROYCE CHEAH and LOONG MENG YEE
PETALING JAYA: The “hunt” is on and it is not for money or gold, but sugar.
The current sugar shortage came about because industries were buying up the stock at the subsidised rate meant for consumers (RM1.40 a kg), leaving practically nothing for the man-in-the-street.
With hypermarkets limiting sales of sugar packets to customers and sundry stores having their quotas reduced, the sweet commodity is getting increasingly rare on the shelves.
In Shah Alam sugar is “flying off” the shelves in certain areas because the controlled price of this item makes it cheaper here than in neighbouring countries, said Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs deputy minister Datuk S. Veerasingam.
Industrial users had been taking advantage of this situation by bulk-buying the commodity in recent months, but their action had eaten into the supply meant for local consumers.
“This situation is both good and bad. Good because the heavy buying by industrial users indicates they have brisk business for their products and this creates more employment opportunities.
“Bad because the heavy buying of sugar reduces the supply meant for local consumers,” Veerasingam told reporters after he and several top-level ministry enforcement officers visited the Central Sugar Refinery plant here yesterday.
There had been a surge in demand for sugar in recent months.
”Many are buying from wholesalers who are supposed to deliver the supply to consumers at the controlled price,” said Veerasingam, who has directed a stop to this practice.
He also called on consumers not to go on a panic-buying spree, as this would aggravate the situation.
He said the ministry was working hard to ensure sugar supply remained plentiful for the coming festive months from October to February next year.
Veerasingam added that a manufacturer in Perlis had only been producing at 50% of its capacity (6,000 tonnes) for the past two to three months as bad weather had reduced the sugarcane harvest.
“The other three manufacturers have agreed to increase output to make up for this shortfall.”
Federation of Sundry Goods Merchants Association of Malaysia president Lean Hing Chuan said the situation was particularly serious in Terengganu, Perak and parts of Selangor.
A distributor claimed that sugar refiners had reduced his supply quota by about 40%.
Carrefour corporate communications and public relations manager Yuswanis Yusof said the hypermarket was not facing any serious sugar shortage.
Consumers finding it difficult to buy sugar can report their problems to the ministry hotline at 1-800-886-800 or operations room at 03-8882 6083/5/8.
Related Stories:RM10,000 sugar seized in KedahIt’s a wild goose chase for some people
ฉ 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)
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