THE Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry said there is sufficient supply of cooking oil in the market.
Its state director Ayub Abd Rahman assured consumers that suppliers and hypermarkets would have enough stock to meet consumer demand during the Ramadan and Hari Raya festive period.
Ayub said ministry officers had been tasked to carry out regular checks on shops. Their observation so far has shown that there were no shortages of cooking oil in Johor.
"There is enough supply of cooking oil in the state. There was no report by the team and neither were there complaints by any traders or consumers regarding this issue. From our observation, the supply of cooking oil is sufficient to meet the demand.
"The problem stems from traders who want to save cost by buying subsidised cooking oil which are for home users. The traders are supposed to buy the 17kg cooking oil from the respective wholesalers and not from the hypermarkets, mini-markets and also convenience stores," he said.
Ayub, in dismissing claims of a wide-scale shortage of cooking oil, said there was only a disruption in supply to mini markets and convenience stores.
However, he advised consumers to call the hotline 1-800-886-800 if they cannot get cooking oil in their area.
But checks by Johor Streets showed a contradicting situation.
In several areas in the city, grocery shop and restaurant operators complained of the shortage.
A grocery shop owner in Bandar Baru Uda, who wanted to be identified as Chua, said his supplier had limited his orders to only 50 cartons of cooking oil monthly.
"I asked the suppliers the reason for the restriction but was told that the supply is limited. They have to distribute the stock evenly to other shops.
"Though I have ordered 50 cartons, there are times when I got fewer than that. I have to limit the sales to only two bottles of cooking oil per customer," he said.
Fadil Yunos, a food stall operator from Skudai, said the shortage of cooking oil had been a problem since he opened for business two years ago.
"I am forced to cut down on the number of fried items. I offer fewer dishes that require using a lot of cooking oil.
"My supplier cannot promise me enough stock, so it is frustrating for me," said the 46-year-old.
With Ramadan approaching, Fadil said he will be cooking over 20 dishes and most are deep-fried items. He fears that the shortage will eat into his profits.
Tampoi shopkeeper, Ching Chee Hiam, 56, is worried that his business will suffer with the shortage.
Ching, who has been running the business since 1995, said, "Every day, I have to turn down customers looking for cooking oil.
"If this continues, they may not come back and I may lose my regular customers as well."
Plaza Angsana restaurant operator Mohd Arafad Mohd Amin, 31, said he had been experiencing shortages of cooking oil since last month.
"It is badly affecting my business. I have two restaurants to take care of and because of the shortages, I have to change my menu.
"We have to reduce our deep-fried dishes so that our current stock of cooking oil will last longer," he said.
Rahmat Yassin said with the Ramadan approaching, it was high time the relevant authorities take steps to ensure that the problem is addressed.
"I hope they will take pro-active measures now rather than wait for a crisis to happen before they act," said the 56-year-old nasi campur operator from Taman Pelangi.
