The ministry’s enforcement head, Azman Adam, said the cases were detected during 10,672 inspections conducted nationwide over nine days from Feb 13.

“This reflects the government’s ongoing commitment to safeguard the people’s welfare and manage the cost of living during the Chinese New Year celebrations,” he said in a Harian Metro report.

“We intensified our monitoring during the period to ensure price stability and prevent manipulation by irresponsible parties.”

The inspections were conducted at public markets, farmers’ markets and shopping centres, covering producers, wholesalers and retailers.

More than 2,400 enforcement officers were mobilised for the campaign.

Azman said the ministry’s officers also worked with their counterparts in the agriculture and food security ministry to ensure a stable supply of essential goods such as fish and vegetables throughout the festive season.

He credited the scheme’s smooth implementation to close monitoring by the ministry, and positive public feedback.

He said the ministry will continue to monitor supply and prices to prevent unreasonable price hikes.