SHAH ALAM, 29 Dec: The Tube Ice Manufacturers of Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Putrajaya will be raising the price of ice by 50 sen a bag, while a block ice will cost RM2.50 effective on January 1.
In an advertisement placed in English newspapers by 26 ice manufacturers in the Klang Valley, they said the increase was unavoidable because of a rise in production and distribution cost.
“The latest electricity tariff rate (about 17 percent), starting 1 January 2014, and the increase in price for diesel (up 11.2 percent), since 2 September this year, has caused this,” they said.
The price hike of ice was also due to the implementation of the minimum wage ruling in January and increases in the price of plastic bags, tyres and spare parts.
The manufacturers also attributed the hike to regular enforcement by the Health Ministry whereby under the Food Act, all ice producers and handlers are required to improve food safety procedures.
“We, therefore, have no choice, but, to adjust our price in order that our services to provide hygienic ice are not affected,” they said, quoted from The Malaysian Insider.
The Government agreed to a slew of price hikes since September, with cuts to the fuel and sugar subsidies, the raising of the electricity tariff effective next month, and a possible toll rate and assessment rate hikes next year.
It has also rolled out the goods and services tax (GST) pegged at 6% to replace the sales and services tax (SST), which comes into effect in April 2015.