PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA: Ten items, including sugar, flour, cooking oil and petrol, will not be allowed to be taken out of the country effective immediately.

This is to ensure the millions of ringgit that the Government spends annually on subsidies is enjoyed by Malaysians and that supply of these goods remains ample at all times.

The ban, which takes immediate effect, will also see stricter surveillance, monitoring and checking at Malaysian borders namely in Kelantan, Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Johor and Sarawak to ensure the ruling is effective.

The subsidised items on the list are flour, cooking oil, petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) while the price control items are sugar, cement and clinker, mild steel round bar, chicken and fertiliser.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal said the list of 10 items was endorsed by the Cabinet in its weekly meeting on Tuesday, adding that some of the items on the list were goods that were under price control, meaning the ceiling prices were fixed by the Government to ensure it remains affordable to the people.

Shafie said the final list only consist of 10 items compared to the proposed 20-odd items because according to feedback from agencies manning the border areas, the flow of these items need to be controlled more.