KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 — Putrajaya will not increase the quota for subsidised cooking oil packets, Deputy Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Fuziah Salleh told Parliament today.

Fuziah said the current monthly quota of 600 metric tonnes of subsidised cooking oil packets is sufficient to meet market demand.

“Data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) also shows that one household requires about 4.8kg of cooking oil monthly. The bottom 80 per cent of households consume 30.3 metric tonnes a month,” she said.

Hawkers and night market traders, classified as part of the “micro-industry,” are also eligible for the subsidised cooking oil packets, using up to 21,285 metric tonnes per month, according to 2023 data.

“So, 600 metric tonnes is enough for us to distribute to 80 per cent of those households and the micro-industry,” she said in response to Cha Kee Chin (PH-Rasah).

Subsidised cooking oil packets were made available to micro-industry players in 2022 under the administration of then-Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Fuziah also announced that the ministry is developing a mechanism to prevent leakages in the supply of subsidised cooking oil, potentially using a type of identity card, after Tanjong Karang MP Zulkafperi Hanapi asked if MyKad would be used for distribution.

“For the 2025 pilot project, we will use a type of identity card — we are in the process of negotiating with agencies to ensure only eligible citizens can access the supply,” she said.

She added that the government has so far suspended 16 companies and revoked the quotas of 30 others for breaching the rules on subsidised cooking oil packets.