Teh tarik is among the popular food and drinks that will be affected, say restaurant owners.

Traders say an increase in transport costs of up to 25% prompted them to make the 'difficult decision'.

Consumers in Europe and North America have already seen price increases of about 20% over the past two years and are starting to cut back on the amount of chocolate they buy, reports show.

The communications and digital minister asks how the media outlets in question arrived at this conclusion.

FAO says the higher forecast is almost entirely driven by better prospects for global wheat production, with the forecast lifted by 0.9% to 783.3 million tonnes.

Reports say the April rise reflected higher prices for sugar, meat and rice, which offset declines in the cereals, dairy and vegetable oil price indices.

Rising expenses have hit the packaged goods industry hard over the past two years, prompting companies to hike prices and helping fuel a cost-of-living crisis in many parts of the world.

The prime minister says the price of goods can be controlled if middlemen are not involved or take only reasonable profits.

Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu says this is part of the government's efforts to overcome food shortages in the country.

Noor Azlan Ghazali says the economy minister's remarks leave questions to be clarified.

Carmelo Ferlito says the government should also look at its own fiscal policies, citing excessive money in the market due to the implementation of relief packages.

The group agreed in early October to cut its oil production target by 2 million bpd from November until the end of 2023.