FELDA Jengka 3 residents hoping PJMKM continues regularly

MARAN, Oct 1 (Bernama) -- Residents around FELDA Jengka 3 here are hoping that the “Program Jualan Keluarga Malaysia” (PJKM) will continue to be held regularly to help them save on their expenditure for basic essentials.

Mohd Amri Abd Rahman, 50, who had queued at the entrance of Dewan Semai Bakti FELDA Jengka 3 as early as 8 am, which was an hour before PJMKM opened its doors, said the price difference was 'significant' considering he was buying essentials for a family of five. 

"The 10 kilogrammes of rice that we buy was sold for RM20.99 compared to the regular price of RM26...the same (price saving) goes for other items such as flour, sugar and cooking oil. For all these, we get quite good discounts and when we accumulate this, it is a saving of tens of ringgit compared to if we bought these items at the supermarket.

"Chicken is sold at RM10 for one (bird) so I bought two chickens as this is the limit per person," he told Bernama when met at the venue today, in conjunction with PJKM for the Kuala Sentul state constituency.

Housewife Rosmaliza Mat Desa, 42, said the items on sale were also from well-known brands, proving that the quality of the goods sold is maintained even though they are sold at cheaper prices.

Apart from that, the mother of two also enjoyed seeing several brands offered for the same items, such as cooking oil, instant coconut milk and condensed milk, which gave buyers more choice. 

"There was definitely a price difference (from grocery shops and supermarkets)...it is worth it even if you have to queue for a long time to buy. At least my husband, who works as a mechanic, does not have to spend a lot on household items this month," she said.

Meanwhile, Zaharah Mohd Sidek, 48, said initially she only attended the programme to monitor the price of items, but ended up returning with several packets of wheat flour as prices sold there were much cheaper with a savings of between 56 sen and 70 sen depending on the brands.

According to her, wheat flour is among the times that is often used by her as she sells kueh on a small-time basis as well as taking the opportunity to buy other items such as sugar and chicken to stock up at home.

Self-employed Hafiz Ahmad, 39, said he took this opportunity to buy household necessities for a week or two because he believes he is not able to enjoy such prices at any supermarket.

"We are used to buying basic essentials, so we can tell the difference between the prices. I think there is a lot of difference when buying here and it would be a loss if this opportunity is missed...it is really satisfying to be able to buy things at cheaper prices," he added.

Meanwhile, consumers in Johor Bahru said PJMKM helped to ease the burden of B40 families at a time when prices of goods are rising.

Mohd Fitri Mohd Rashid, 38, said through the programme the people could buy fresh chicken at RM6.99 per kilogramme compared to the usual RM8.49 per kilo while ikan siakap was available at RM5.99 each compared to RM10 previously.

“The public gets good deals and it is good if PJMKM is continued to help ease the burden of the B40 group,” he said when met at Pasar Raya Songmart Sri Stulang.

For cleaner Nor Lila Jaffar, 53, the programme was really useful for the needy but she hoped more items could be put on sale.

A Bernama check at the supermarket showed that flour, chicken, milk and sugar were among the essentials popular among shoppers.

-- BERNAMA