KPDN Pledges Sufficient Stocks Of Essential Goods Ahead Of State Polls

JOHOR BAHRU, June 19 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) has assured that supplies of essential goods in Johor and Negeri Sembilan remain sufficient ahead of the elections, despite rising global logistics costs from the West Asia conflict.

Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh noted that proactive measures are already in place to prevent supply chain disruptions, ahead of a forecast spike in demand from officials and out-of-state visitors.

As part of a preparedness strategy, she said the ministry has introduced a new distribution system for subsidised packet cooking oil, which is delivered directly from repackers to points of sale (POS) without passing through wholesalers.

"Johor’s monthly cooking oil quota remains steady at over 3,000 metric tonnes, handled by 18 repackers and distributed across 95 POS, including Econsave supermarkets, to stave off shortages.

"An inspection at Econsave Taman Daya today confirms that stocks are stable, with around 100 cartons available daily to meet local demand," she told reporters after inspecting the Rahmah MADANI Sales Programme (PJRM) at the outlet today.

Fuziah said tight control measures at checkout counters, such as requiring app scans or identity card (MyKad) verification, are implemented to ensure these subsidised goods are only enjoyed by Malaysian citizens, thereby preventing leakages.

In the meantime, she disclosed that a total of 13,692 PJRM events have been held nationwide between Jan 1 and June 13, 2026, adding that in Johor alone, 920 PJRM sessions were rolled out across all 56 state constituencies, drawing 2.3 million visitors and generating over 1.46 million transactions.

"This significant achievement proves the effectiveness of the government's approach in its efforts to ease the public's cost of living burden," she said.

Polling for the Johor state election has been set for July 11, preceded by early voting on July 7, with candidate nominations on June 27.

-- BERNAMA