“Where’s the rice?”: Ministry told to reveal whereabouts of 140,000 metric tonnes of local rice

“Where’s the rice?”: Ministry told to reveal whereabouts of 140,000 metric tonnes of local rice





THE Agriculture and Food Security Ministry has been urged to reveal the whereabouts of the 140,000 metric tonnes of white rice as informed in a recent meeting of the National Action Council on Cost of Living (Naccol).

Committee chairperson Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal said the ministry’s enforcement division had announced during a Naccol meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on March 20 that there are 140,000 metric tonnes of local white rice (BPT) available to be sold for RM26 per 10kg pack, Malaysiakini reported.

“The announcement came as a shock to me and the prime minister himself, as in the last seven months, we have faced a shortage of local white rice,” the Bukit Gantang MP told the news portal.


“Then, where did the 140,000 tonnes (of rice) come from, after the prime minister got angry with the situation?

“Therefore, I urge the ministry to list down all the factories that sell local rice, so that we know where to find them. This is important to ensure the availability of local rice in the market.”

Syed Abu Husin further called for the ministry to reveal the locations where local white rice is sold, adding that Naccol officers conduct checks on the ground once every two days and out of the 60 locations that were surveyed, only 10 had a local white rice supply.

“So the rakyat wants to know where the rice is. The rakyat may be deprived of the rice supply they deserve due to manipulations by cartels or enforcers,” he stated.

“We want to know whether the 140,000 metric tonnes of local white rice really exist in the market or not. This (monitoring) is crucial as it involves Naccol, which was established to monitor and bring down the cost of living.”

On Friday (March 22) Bernama reported that Anwar wants more frequent monitoring and enforcement to be carried out to address the shortage of BPT in the market.

Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said monitoring and enforcement also require changes to ensure a more effective distribution process.

On the recent Naccol meeting, Anwar said the government’s firmness in addressing the issue of rice prices and supplies was evident, leading to a decrease in the market price of imported white rice.

“Prices have dropped by RM3, or by RM2 at some places. Basically, between RM2 and RM3, and that’s a lot for buyers and regular consumers,” Bernama reported him as saying.

Regarding the shortage of BPT in the market, Anwar noted that the Naccol meeting revealed that the country has 150,000 tonnes of local white rice to distribute but that this was not enough for everyone.

Presently, he said BPT was sold and distributed by the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority and the Farmers Organisations Authority at RM26 per 10kg pack.

“In reality, our (Malaysian) rice, sugar and crude oil prices are the cheapest in Southeast Asia and this fact is not being emphasised,” he remarked.

On March 19, the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry announced that the retail price of imported white rice would be reduced by between RM2 and RM3. It took effect on Wednesday (March 20). – March 26, 2024