Every major festival in Malaysia comes with a short price-control window, and Deepavali 2026's has now been announced. The Skim Harga Maksimum Musim Perayaan (SHMMP), the festive maximum price scheme run by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN), takes effect on Wednesday 4 November and ends on Tuesday 10 November 2026. Domestic Trade Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali announced it in Kuala Lumpur on 29 October.
The list is longer this year. Eleven items are controlled, against nine in 2025, because santan (coconut milk) and potatoes imported from China have been added. KPDN says the maximum prices for five items fell in the Peninsula: whole coconuts, grated coconut, big red onions, Indian shallots and Australian dhal. Imported bone-in mutton is the only item whose cap went up, at both wholesale and retail, in every region.
The Peninsula's maximum prices
These are the retail caps from KPDN's own price pamphlet for Deepavali 2026, per kilogram unless stated. They are ceilings, not fixed prices: a shop can sell for less, and many supermarkets do.
- Imported bone-in mutton (daging kambing biri-biri bertulang import): RM35 (wholesale RM31)
- Red chillies: RM16 (wholesale RM14)
- Tomatoes: RM5.50 (wholesale RM4.50)
- Santan: RM13.50, retail only
- Grated coconut (kelapa parut): RM10, retail only
- Whole coconut (kelapa biji): RM2.50 each, wholesale only, so there is no retail cap on a coconut you buy whole
- Indian shallots (bawang merah kecil India): RM4.50 (wholesale RM3.50)
- Indian shallots, Ros variety: RM6 (wholesale RM5)
- Big red onions (bawang merah besar): RM4 (wholesale RM3)
- Potatoes from China: RM3.30 (wholesale RM2.30)
- Australian dhal (kacang dal): RM4.50 (wholesale RM3.50)
Read the item names carefully. The mutton cap covers imported bone-in mutton, not local or boneless cuts. The potato cap covers potatoes from China, not potatoes of other origins. Anything outside these exact descriptions is not price-controlled under this scheme, even if it sits on the same shelf.
Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan
East Malaysia and Labuan get their own caps because freight costs differ. The table below compares them. Sabah's west and east coast districts share one set of prices. In Sarawak, Limbang and Lawas carry a higher cap for mutton, tomatoes, chillies, Ros shallots and dhal than the rest of the state.
Two things stand out. Santan is cheaper to cap outside the Peninsula (RM10.50 in Sabah and RM11 in Sarawak against RM13.50), while mutton, tomatoes and dhal cost more. A shopper in Kota Kinabalu pays up to RM6.50 for a kilo of tomatoes; in Lawas the cap is RM8.
A worked example
A household cooking one mutton curry with the usual trimmings in Selangor might buy 2kg of imported bone-in mutton, 1kg of santan, 1kg of big onions and 500g of red chillies. At the maximum prices that basket cannot legally cost more than RM95.50 (RM70 + RM13.50 + RM4 + RM8). The same basket in Kuching is capped at RM96 (RM72 + RM11 + RM4.50 + RM8.50), and in Lawas at RM98.50. If you are charged more for any of those items during 4-10 November, that is an offence.
The pink tag is what you can check
Traders selling a controlled item must display a special pink price tag on it, sell at or below the maximum, keep enough stock and use certified scales. Of these, the pink tag is the one a shopper can verify at a glance, and it is also the rule traders break most often. During the 2025 Deepavali scheme (16-22 October 2025), KPDN made 4,560 inspections and took action in 445 cases; 433 of them were for missing pink tags, six for missing price tags and only six for selling above the maximum, The Vibes reported on 27 October 2025, with compounds totalling RM53,500.
The penalties under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011, as listed on KPDN's pamphlet:
- Selling above the maximum price: individuals face a fine of up to RM100,000, up to three years' jail or both, or a compound of up to RM50,000. Companies face up to RM500,000, or a compound of up to RM250,000.
- No pink tag: up to RM10,000 for individuals (compound up to RM5,000) and RM20,000 for companies (compound up to RM10,000).
- No price tag at all: up to RM50,000 for individuals (compound up to RM25,000) and RM100,000 for companies (compound up to RM50,000).
How to report a trader
KPDN takes complaints by WhatsApp on 019-848 8000, through the Ez ADU KPDN app, on its hotline 1-800-886-800 and on the e-Aduan portal at eaduan.kpdn.gov.my. The lines run 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, or Sunday to Thursday in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu. Note the shop name, address, item, the price charged and the time, and keep your receipt and a photo of the shelf.
Other KPDN programmes this fortnight
Alongside the price caps, KPDN is running Deepavali sales under its Program Jualan Rahmah MADANI (locations are listed on the PJRM portal and the Info Jualan Rahmah MADANI app), and a discounted car-servicing programme with Petronas AutoExpert, SIM@PAX, at 124 workshops from 25 October to 7 November, bookable through the Setel app, according to Bernama.
