PENAMPANG, SABAH. Malaysia, Aug 3 2025 – The Malaysian government plans to develop a comprehensive Price and Supply Repository System as part of efforts to tackle rising living costs during the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK-13), spanning 2026 to 2030.
The initiative, announced by Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, aims to enhance price transparency along the food supply chain and curb activities such as hoarding and price manipulation by middlemen.
In a statement released today, Armizan highlighted that the system will provide critical data to strengthen enforcement under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 and the Competition Act 2010. The development will involve collaboration across multiple ministries and industries.
The RMK-13, described as a medium-term development blueprint aligned with the MADANI government’s economic framework, focuses on sustainable growth, public welfare, environmental preservation, and improved governance.
One of its three core pillars, “Raising the Floor,” prioritizes addressing cost-of-living challenges—a issue not unique to Malaysia but exacerbated regionally and globally by geopolitical conflicts, supply instability, and climate-related disruptions to food security.
Armizan explained that the government’s strategy encompasses two key frameworks: stabilizing prices and inflation through balanced supply and demand, while boosting household incomes via targeted aid and economic opportunities.
“To achieve price stability, we will foster healthy competition and eliminate market manipulation, particularly for daily essentials,” the minister said.
Over the five-year RMK-13 period, the government will also bolster the national food supply chain by expanding infrastructure, empowering the retail sector, and introducing digital platforms for greater transparency and regulatory oversight.
This includes upgrading marketing facilities such as collection centers, processing units, packaging operations, distribution networks, and logistics services through public-private partnerships. Small and medium-sized retailers will receive support to increase their participation in agromarketing hubs.
Armizan emphasized the repository system’s role in enabling data-driven interventions to prevent profiteering and ensure fair pricing from farm to table.
The announcement comes amid ongoing efforts to mitigate economic pressures on households, with the minister underscoring the need for a holistic approach combining cost controls with income enhancement.