The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) has announced that it will be holding a meeting with Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas) and paddy farmers to discuss the country’s local rice supply. This comes after Bernas made the decision to adjust the price of imported white rice to reflect the latest market prices.
Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu stated that the meeting will take place on Thursday (Sept 7) and will involve high-ranking officials from the National Paddy and Rice Board (LPN) as well as paddy farmers. The goal of the meeting is to determine the necessary steps to ensure sufficient local rice supply in the market, similar to how previous supply issues were resolved cooperatively.
Speaking to reporters at the 2023 National-level Mega Agro Madani Sales Carnival in Dataran Sejarah Ayer Keroh, Mohamad expressed the hope that the rice supply situation can be resolved in cooperation with all stakeholders involved.
The minister also mentioned that his ministry had previously conducted a dialogue session with rice millers in Kedah to inform them of the country’s current policy regarding rice supply. He emphasized that strict action will be taken against any millers found to be hiding or mislabeling rice and stated that the government’s policies must be obeyed.
To address supply shortages in specific areas, the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) will collaborate with industry players to ensure the delivery of rice to those regions.
Last Friday, Bernas announced an adjustment in the sale price of imported white rice nationwide, raising it from RM2,350 per tonne to RM3,200 per tonne.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
