Deputy domestic trade and consumer affairs minister Rosol Wahid said all the notices were issued through Op Catut 8.0, carried out since April 7 following complaints from the public.

“The operation will be carried out until April 15 by enforcement teams nationwide. Based on the number of notices issued, we find that this is quite a common occurrence.

“This should not happen. Maybe a more appropriate price would be between 20 and 30 sen,” he told reporters after officiating the Terengganu state-level Franchise Bay Tour Programme here today.

Of the 84 notices, Kelantan recorded the highest number with 14, followed by Selangor (12), Sabah (eight), Sarawak (eight), Johor (eight), Pahang (seven), Terengganu (six), Kuala Lumpur (five), Melaka (four), Federal Territory of Labuan (three), Penang (three), Perlis (two), Perak (two) and Negeri Sembilan (two).

Traders who are issued with the notice will be given two to five working days to provide the information required before further action is taken in accordance with the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.

Meanwhile, Rosol called on more franchisers to take advantage of the Micro and Affordable Franchise Development Programme to help create better opportunities for entrepreneurs, especially those in the B40 and M40 target groups.

He said there were currently 1,091 franchise brands registered in Malaysia, of which 694 were local franchise brands.

“However, so far only 12 franchise brands have offered micro franchises and affordable franchises. The number is still too small compared to the 1,091 registered franchise brands,” he said.

Affordable franchises are business packages worth RM100,000 and below, while micro franchises are worth RM50,000 and below.

Rosol said RM5 million had been allocated for the programme, comprising full grants worth RM2 million offered to franchisers, and matching grants totalling RM2.5 million for those from the B40 and M40 groups looking to open a franchise.