Traders Association: KPDN Budget Meals Impractical for Small Businesses

“Not practical.” 

Bumiputera Petty Traders Association President Rosli Sulaiman said in an interview with the News Strait Times on Feb. 8 that it is not practical for small food business owners to participate in the Menu Rahmah Programme as they may possibly experience profit losses amidst the increasing food prices in the country.

Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) Salahuddin Ayub, on the other hand, urged more fast-food chains to support and join the Menu Rahmah initiative.

The Menu Rahmah Programme is a government-led initiative launched by the KPDN on Jan. 31. It is dedicated to working class citizens where the cost of any meal (lunch or dinner) does not exceed RM5.

Each set of meals consists of rice with protein and a side dish of vegetables. Most of these meals are offered in food courts, mamak restaurants, hypermarket food stalls, and fast-food chains such as Burger King and Chatime.

Sulaiman advised food vendors who generate a daily profit margin of less than RM150 to opt out of participating in the scheme.

“The price of chicken now is 9.30 ringgit per [kilogram]. If you want to implement the Rahmah Menu and your side dish is chicken, you’d have to cut it into 12 parts and that would cost you [four] ringgit per part,” he was quoted as saying.

“If you add rice, that is [two] ringgit, and a beverage is [one] ringgit. That is already [seven] ringgit. They would lose 2 ringgit.”