Limbang consumers, traders struggle amid cooking oil packets shortage

LIMBANG (Nov 29): Consumers and traders here are seeing red over the scarcity of cooking oil in one-kilogramme packets in town.

Those who rely on cooking oil in packets to make cakes or pastries also express hope that authorities would resolve this issue, which has been prevalent in the past two months, since it is affecting their means to earn a living.

A survey conducted by Utusan Borneo at the stalls of the Tamu Limbang building near here yesterday found that all of the cooking oil on the shelves is bottled.

According to Ibrahim Tapa, who is a ‘kuih’ and ‘cucur’ trader in the area, the absence of cooking oil in packets is a burden for small traders like himself.

“After cooking oil in packets ‘disappeared’ from the market for the past two months, I had to spend around RM48 a day to buy bottled cooking oil.

“Kuih and cucur traders need eight kilogrammes of cooking oil a day to fry the food items, and for a month, we need 200 kilogrammes of cooking oil to do so.

“We have to spend about more than RM1,200 to buy bottled cooking oil in one month, excluding the cost increase of other items, while previously, we would only spend RM500 a month on cooking oil in packets,” he said.

He thus urges the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) Limbang Division to monitor this matter.

He suggested that traders licensed under the Local Authority (PBT) be given a quota to purchase cooking oil in packets, in addition to ensuring that the supply is always sufficient in the market.

Meanwhile, another trader explained that the controlled goods agent is currently not sending supplies of cooking oil in packets to traders in the area.

“I’m not sure when the cooking oil in packets will be on the market. I was informed that the agent concerned has not sent us the supply and I’m not sure when they would be supplied,” he revealed.