If all parties launched mass sales campaigns, it would help consumers manage their expenditure better, said Annuar, who heads the task force.

He said the task force was planning for the sales to begin in August or September.

He said these sales campaigns could be held if traders were not too greedy or concerned about their self-interest. “So this way, the government can bear a little, consumers can bear a little and sellers can bear a little. If we can do this, overall we can control inflation,” he said.

Annuar said the inflation task force that he heads would look into ways to create a balance between supply and demand.

He said vegetable farmers faced rising costs. “Production has not yet reached the original capacity, not all workers have returned, foreign workers have not yet come, and so on, while demand has started to rise to the original level.

“So there is a mismatch. The committee will discuss how to create a balance between the supply side and demand side,” he said.

Earlier, Annuar had inspected food prices at the cafeteria of Universiti Malaya, International Islamic University of Malaysia and a supermarket here.

He said supply shortages could also be a problem of a failed market mechanism.

“For example, 60,000 tonnes of subsidised cooking oil per month are provided to meet domestic needs but in reality, the cooking oil has been used for commercial purposes,” he said.

Annuar said he would continue conducting checks in other locations because many more goods need to be assessed in determining the Consumer Price Index in the basket of goods and services for combating inflation.

He said the task force would also call up several economists and key subject matter experts to join its meetings to find the best ways to tackle the inflation issue.