PUTRAJAYA: Ice manufacturers do not have a good reason to increase the price of their products in the local market, says Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

       Commenting on the 50sen increase for a packet of ice cubes, the Prime Minister said this should not have happened as the government did not increase water and electricity tariffs.

       "The price of ice should not have increased because the government maintains water and electricity supply at a cheap rate without any increase,” he told reporters after conducting price checks on essential goods at MyFarm Outlet Kasih here Wednesday (Dec 1).

       He said this situation was unlike the hike in bread prices, which was due to an increase in the price of flour.

       "Our country does not grow wheat; we import flour. So, this has an impact on bread prices,” he said.

       Following complaints from various quarters, Ismail Sabri wants the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to conduct a thorough study on the factor of production costs.

       "We want information on costs at every step of the supply chain.

       "The government does not want the people to be burdened with price hikes for essential goods due to the production cost factor,” he said. - Bernama