No more excuses for not reducing prices of goods, says Ismail Sabri

Agriculture minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob wants businesses to pass the benefits from the electricity tariff reduction, from March to June this year, on to consumers. – The Malaysian Insider pic, February 12, 2015.There are no more excuses for businessmen not to lower prices of goods after the reduction in electricity tariffs announced yesterday, according to Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

"First the oil price was reduced three times and now electricity tariffs. So, there are no more excuses for businessmen not to lower prices of goods.

"Consumers must urge businessmen to reduce prices. When I said use consumer power, it is not to simply boycott, but to choose alternatives," he said after visiting the pilot project for planting chillies using the fertigation method by the New Affirmative Action Movement (NAAM) in Taman Maluri, Kuala Lumpur, today.

Datuk M.Saravanan, who is NAAM's founding member and Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, was also present during the event. 

Yesterday, the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water announced the reduction of 2.25 sen per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for domestic users in Peninsular Malaysia and 1.20 sen per kWH for Labuan and Sabah from March 1 to June 30 this year.

It is set to benefit 32% of domestic consumers who use more than 300kWh per month for commercial or industrial use.

On his visit, Ismail said chilli farming should be expanded to reduce imports of the crop from overseas.

He said the pilot project by NAAM was a model to fight against middlemen, as the chillies grown in the area would be sold directly to the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) for distribution to farmers' markets.

"Consumption needs for chilli in the country is around 295,000 metric tonnes, but local yield of this crop is only around 40,000 metric tonnes and we still rely on imports for this," he said.

Ismail said his ministry would step up its collaboration with NAAM to find more participants and to help young farming entrepreneurs involved with the cultivation of chilli.

Meanwhile, Saravanan said the pilot project involved 43.6 hectares of land and 109 youth participants nationwide. – Bernama