JOHOR BARU, Sept 9 — Consumers without smartphones can still buy subsidised packet cooking oil through manual registration at supermarkets, the Johor Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) clarified today.
Its state director, Lilis Saslinda Pornomo said that apart from scanning the QR code via the Cooking Oil Price Stabilisation Scheme System (eCOSS) application, consumers may also register manually using a logbook provided by supermarkets.
“This option allows those who do not own smartphones to have the opportunity to purchase subsidised packet cooking oil.
“In fact, even before the implementation of the eCOSS pilot programme, Johor KPDN held engagement sessions with supermarkets to ensure that it runs smoothly without affecting consumers,” she said in a statement today.
Lilis Saslinda was responding to claims that the government’s eCOSS mobile application marginalised certain groups, especially senior citizens, who do not own smartphones or are not tech-savvy.
Last month, Johor became the first state to extend the use of eCOSS to the end-user level, allowing every transaction involving subsidised packet cooking oil to be recorded digitally to curb leakages.
Under the pilot programme, which began on August 11, consumers are required to download the application and scan a QR code each time they purchase packet cooking oil.
Lilis Saslinda said that during the first five days of the programme, ministry officers were stationed at sales counters to conduct training sessions for consumers and supermarkets.
She said that so far, 111,480 transactions have been recorded through the eCOSS application, while 47,141 transactions were logged manually.
“The figures prove that both methods work well and are widely used by consumers.
“This ensures that no groups are marginalised from the subsidy, especially the elderly and those facing technology limitations,” she said, adding that Johor KPDN constantly reminds supermarkets to inform consumers about the manual registration option for smoother implementation of the programme.
It was previously reported that Johor has 29 point-of-sale (POS) locations catering to eCOSS as part of the second phase of the Subsidised Cooking Oil Distribution Programme.