KINIGUIDE | Sugar: Subsidies, trade deficits and alleged duopoly

KINIGUIDE | For decades, Malaysia’s sugar industry has been strictly regulated under the 1961 Supply Control Act, which has also capped the commodity’s retail prices at RM2.85 (coarse) and RM2.95 (refined) per kg.

As a result, Malaysia’s sugar prices are among the lowest in Asean. In Thailand, 1kg of sugar is RM3.91, RM5.74 in Indonesia, RM7.34 in Singapore, and RM8.53 in the Philippines.