SARA: Govt to review adding frozen food to the scheme

The government will review expanding the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah aid to include frozen food products, as it aims to boost the number of participating small grocery shops to 10,000 by year-end.

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will review improvements to the implementation of the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) aid, including a proposal to expand the scope of permitted goods to include frozen food products.

Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the matter would be discussed with the SARA implementation team to assess the suitability of the proposal before any decision was made.

“InsyaAllah, in the future, we will announce the expansion to frozen goods that will be permitted under SARA,” he said when winding up the debate in the Dewan Rakyat.

Commenting on the expansion of retail networks under SARA, Amir Hamzah said the implementation had recorded positive performance.

The number of recognised outlets under the programme increased from 700 in 2024 to about 10,000 last year, including 3,000 small grocery shops.

He said earlier this year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the government’s target to increase the number of small grocery shops from 3,000 to 10,000 by the end of this year.

“This implementation will, in turn, enable more small traders and retailers to participate in the SARA scheme,” he said.

Amir Hamzah said the utilisation rate of SARA also showed very good performance, with 99% of recipients facing no problems in using the assistance.

On the method used for targeted subsidies, he said it was being implemented in a careful and orderly manner to ensure the benefits truly reached those who were entitled.

“In this context, the implementation of BUDI MADANI RON95 (BUDI95) is a clear example, whereby RON95 petrol subsidies are channelled in a more targeted manner to reduce leakages,” he said.

He said the government did not agree with views rejecting the use of MyKad in the disbursement of social assistance and subsidies.

The approach ensured that the assistance was enjoyed only by Malaysian citizens, he added.