IF traders want to participate in the Menu Rahmah programme, they must discard the mindset of begging the government for subsidies, according to the head of a local hypermarket chain.
Menu Rahmah, according to Mydin hypermarket managing director Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin, is a voluntary initiative in which food traders are not obligated to take part.
He believed that government already subsidised most raw materials and that basic ingredient prices were starting to fall.
“The government has already provided many subsidies, from chicken to eggs. Even our rice is subsidised. If traders feel burdened, they don’t have to sell (Menu Rahmah meals).
“This initiative is not compulsory. Whoever wants to sell can sell, and those who feel they are unable to bear the costs don’t need to sell. This subsidy mentality needs to stop,” Ameer told FMT.
He also stated that Putrajaya did not have complete control over raw material prices because they were more closely connected to the global economic situation.
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub said on Saturday that a detailed study on incentives for traders participating in the Menu Rahmah programme would be conducted after Aidilfitri.
This followed an FMT report that some traders participating in the programme were dissatisfied because they presumed it benefited the government more in terms of publicity.
Ameer disagreed, claiming that traders participating in Menu Rahmah would benefit far more than the government because customers would keep coming to their eateries because of the cheap prices.
He noted that traders should be imaginative when introducing Menu Rahmah as not all meals must be sold at cheap prices.
“From the 30 menus they sell, they could perhaps opt to set aside two or three menus for Menu Rahmah. It covers only 10% to 15% of the cost of raw materials. They can still make a profit,” he said.
He also pointed out that most of the traders he met were pleased with the initiative because it allowed them to attract more customers than it used to be. – April 11, 2023
Main pic credit: Borak Daily
