Consumers may need to furnish ID when buying subsidised cooking oil
04/12/2023 (New Straits Times), Kuala Lumpur - The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry is planning to upgrade its cooking oil stabilisation scheme (eCOSS) system next year to cover all levels of the supply chain.
Deputy Minister Fuziah Salleh said its implementation would however be subject to the government's budget approval.
"With the enhancement, eCOSS will be more effective when integrated with the implementation of targeted subsidies and Padu (the government's Central Database Hub) where identification (processes) will likely be required in purchase of subsidised cooking oil in future," she said in reply to a question from Datuk Wira Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli in the Dewan Negara today.
Fuziah said the ministry was conducting an audit on the cooking oil subsidy with the findings would be the basis in enhancing the existing mechanism.
As a temporary measure, she said the ministry has instructed repackers to expedite delivery to areas that reported lack of subsidised cooking oil supplies, as well as setting a 3kg purchase limit to ensure that more domestic consumers were able to buy the item.
In addition, she said, the ministry had been working closely with enforcement agencies including the police and Customs Department in preventing leakages through smuggling of subsidised items.
"In November, three cases of smuggling attempts at the border involving cooking oil were reported in Kelantan.
"The General Operations Force (GOF) intercepted the vehicles ferrying the item, with the suspects have been remanded and are now under investigation," she said.