KUALA LUMPUR – The impact of the global supply crisis on the cost of living is expected to start being felt by Malaysians within the next one to two months, said Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
Zafrul, who is the Prime Minister’s Senior Political Adviser said this is driven by rising costs across the supply chain, including logistics, fertilisers, and other industrial inputs.
He added that these effects will influence the prices of food and daily necessities.
“Based on studies and analyses conducted, these effects will impact food prices and daily goods, although the increase may not be very significant at the initial stage,” he said, as reported by Bernama after visiting Pasar Taman Muda today.
Zafrul, who is also chairman of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), said the sectors expected to be affected first are logistics, followed by agriculture and industries dependent on raw materials such as plastics.
He noted that the situation stems from global supply chain disruptions, which are not only putting pressure on oil prices but also affecting production input and distribution costs.
However, he said the domestic situation remains under control due to fuel subsidies that help contain transportation costs, while advising the public to be more prudent in energy consumption, including fuel usage.
Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, speaking at the 2026 National Labour Day celebration, said Malaysia is maintaining the subsidised RON95 petrol price under the Budi MADANI RON95 (BUDI95) initiative at RM1.99 per litre, even as many other oil-producing countries have raised prices.
Anwar added that the government, through the Ministry of Finance, has also announced an additional RM5 billion guarantee under the Small and Medium Enterprise Financing Guarantee Scheme (SJPP) to assist micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) affected by the global supply crisis following the United States–Iran conflict in West Asia.
Additionally, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) has introduced RM5 billion under the SME Stabilisation Support Facility, bringing the total to RM10 billion to help ease the burden on affected MSMEs following the crisis. – May 1, 2026