Two Sabah Retailers Join KPDN’s Digitalisation And Price Transparency Initiative

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) has expanded its collaboration with the retail sector under its digitalisation and price transparency initiative, with two retail chains in Sabah joining the effort today.

Its Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said that KPDN has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bataras Supermarket Sdn Bhd and CKS Retail Sdn Bhd to implement a voluntary price information sharing initiative via the PriceCatcher application.

“This collaboration is part of KPDN’s ongoing efforts to expand its network of strategic retail partners under the digitalisation and price transparency initiative.

“The initiative aims to improve consumers’ access to the prices of goods in the market to help them make informed spending decisions,” he said in a statement today.

Armizan said the automated price-sharing initiative was introduced last year with the participation of MYDIN and Redtick, before being extended to Sabah.

He said the PriceCatcher application now displays prices for 316 essential goods, updated daily, weekly, and monthly, covering categories such as fresh produce, dry and packaged goods, dairy and baby products, hygiene products, and beverages.

As of Oct 31, 2025, the application has recorded over 590,000 downloads, with an average of 10,000 active users weekly nationwide.

“Previously, price information on the PriceCatcher app was collected manually by Price Monitoring Officers (PPH) in the field, which limited the data coverage in terms of area and number of premises.

“With the implementation of the MoU, retail partners are now voluntarily providing automated price data directly into the PriceCatcher system,” he said.

He added that the move would broaden data coverage and enable consumers in Sabah to access real-time price information.

Armizan said KPDN would continue to encourage more supermarkets and retail outlets to join the initiative in support of its digitalisation and price transparency agenda for the consumers’ benefit.

At the same time, he also urged recipients of Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) to take advantage of the Perlindungan Tenang Voucher (PTV) 3.0 initiative, which aims to strengthen the social protection network for low-income groups.

He said PTV 3.0, which began on Sept 1, 2025, offers vouchers worth RM30 to two million STR recipients to purchase basic insurance and takaful products from licensed providers.

STR recipients may register and redeem their vouchers through the MyCoverage portal until Dec 31, 2025, or until all vouchers are redeemed.

“In line with the government’s commitment to easing the people’s cost of living, KPDN, in collaboration with the Malaysian Takaful Association (MTA), organised the Takaful Series Programme in Papar, Sabah, today.

“The initiative aims to broaden outreach, enhance public understanding, and encourage the uptake of basic insurance and affordable takaful products,” he said.

Armizan added that the programme focused on the redemption of PTV 3.0 vouchers by STR recipients, and to date, a total of 18,826 recipients have redeemed their vouchers and purchased basic takaful and insurance products through selected companies under the initiative.

-- BERNAMA