He hoped the solution to break the middlemen’s stranglehold on business can be found in the next couple of months.

“Hopefully, we will be able to do it (break the middlemen monopoly),” he told reporters on the sidelines of the ISIS PRAXIS Conference 2019 here today.

Daim said fishermen in villages do not enjoy the actual profit from their hard work because middlemen take advantage of them.

He gave an example where rural fishermen sell their freshly caught mackerel for about RM7 per kg to middlemen, who later re-sell the fish at RM22 per kg in urban areas for a hefty profit.

According to him, both fishermen and consumers are not happy with the price of mackerel they got, with the middlemen enjoying the most monetary benefit from the hiked-up price.

Speaking on press freedom, Daim said there is a lot of freedom after Pakatan Harapan took over the government.

“People are free to say what they like, and there is a proposal to set up a media council which is good.

“For those in the media, what they experienced in the previous regime won’t be repeated, but the press also needs to be responsible,” he said.

The two-day conference, themed “Malaysia Beyond 2020”, was officiated by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday.