KUALA LUMPUR: The lack of supply of wheat flour in the market as reported is due to a particular brand being in high demand and not due to India’s action to restrict wheat exports to the global market.

Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the country only imported 15% of its wheat supply from India, the United States and Ukraine while the rest was from Australia.

“If there is a supply disruption, it may be because of the high demand for a certain brand and because of that, it runs out quickly. We have not detected any shortage of wheat flour in the market; we have not received any complaint lodged directly to the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs.

“We get information from the media and we investigate, for example in Melaka, there are only isolated cases and not comprehensive (nationwide),” he told reporters after attending the Companies Commission of Malaysia’s Salam Aidilfitri 2022 event.

He also explained that so far, the lack of wheat flour supply is not critical but the ministry continues to monitor.

Meanwhile, Nanta said that if there was an increase in the price of wheat flour, it was not from a subsidised supply because the subsidised wheat flour remained at RM1.35 per kilo.

He said the country recorded consumption of subsidised wheat flour of 100,000 tonnes a year, while non-subsidised around 192,959 tonnes.

Nanta also said that traders who were found to be rationing flour supplies would face legal action under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.

He said the ministry would introduce an initiative to make it easier for consumers to identify subsidised products in the market, thus preventing traders from raising the price of goods arbitrarily. – Bernama