File photo of Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Minister of Internal Trade, Consumerism during his recent visit to Bintulu to launch 1Sarawak, 1price campaigns.

The Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry will launch the “One Sarawak, One Price” campaign on July 1 as a measure to lessen the burden on consumers in rural and remote areas of Sarawak.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said consumers in Sarawak’s rural and remote areas still faced high prices of goods including controlled items that have been subsidised by the government such as granulated sugar, white bread, petrol and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

“Even though there is a price control act to overcome this problem, traders in these areas still sell goods such as sugar and petrol higher than the subsidised price and its not fair to rural consumers as they are also part of the low-income group,” he told reporters after visiting two cooperatives in Kampung Tebakang Bidayuh and Kampung Tebakang Melayu, about hour’s drive from Kuching, here today.

He said to solve this problem, a pioneer project would begin in the Serian district involving 10 cooperatives that would standardise the price of all consumer goods next month, especially controlled goods.

Out of the 10 cooperatives, Koperasi Kampung Bunan Berhad was chosen to act as wholesaler to other cooperatives in the areas involved and the cost of transporting controlled goods would be borne by the government, he said.

Ismail Sabri said if the project was successful it would be introduced to other areas in Sarawak and also remote areas in Sabah such as Keningau.

– BERNAMA