PETALING JAYA: Rice millers and wholesalers in the country have been asked to increase the supply of local white rice by 20% through a local white rice programme.
This was one of the measures to restore supply in the market, said the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry.
Following a meeting last week in Alor Setar with suppliers from the northern zone, the ministry said that millers and wholesalers had agreed to supply an additional 20% of local white rice to the government through Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas).
The ministry voiced its hope that any shortage of local white rice would be overcome following the government’s intervention to increase the supply.
It said that the price of local white rice had remained the lowest in the region since 2008 at RM2.60 per kg.
(According to a Bernama report, Thailand sells the grain at RM2.70 per kg while in Cambodia, it is RM3.20 per kg.)
The ministry said it would hold a dialogue with industry players on Sept 7 at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park in Serdang, Selangor, to seek their input on ways to increase the production of local white rice.
In a statement, it said that it had launched an operation more than two weeks ago to carry out checks and enforcement on rice millers and suppliers to ensure they adhere to the law on matters related to the production of rice.
Otherwise, they could face suspension or revocation of their licences, the ministry said.
