KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government should focus on the affordability of fragrant rice and not just control locally-produced rice, says Parti Warisan women's leader Juriah Uda.
She said fragrant rice was commonly eaten by the elderly and also children who may suffer from constipation because of eating white rice, which has been stripped of fibre.
"It is common knowledge and practice to give fragrant rice to young children and the elderly who are susceptible to constipation.
"But with soaring prices and possible intermittent shortage caused by unpredictable weather, many families will find it difficult to sustain themselves financially," the Putatan Wanita Warisan chief said in a statement on Friday (Sept 8).
"Wanita Warisan feels and understands the worries of mothers with young children and also the elderly who could be impacted by the soaring price of fragrant rice," she said.
The problem could be more pronounced in larger families that included young children and elderly living under the same roof, she noted.
"The main type of rice purchased and consumed (in such households) is fragrant rice," she said.
Larger households, she pointed out, may purchase up to 20kg or 30kg of rice a month and eat it with just gravy or soup as portions of meat and fish had also lessened because of increased prices.
"Mixing types of rice for meals will quickly become a trend, so we urge the state government to prioritise the supply and affordability of fragrant rice,” she added.
Meanwhile, Kudat Warisan acting deputy chairman Fauziah Stephens raised another food concern arising from China’s new map that includes Malaysia's exclusive economic zone.
The claims made in the map posed a possible threat to the state's fishing industry, she said.
“We are not only talking about the need to protect our natural resources such as oil reserves in Malaysian waters near Sabah and Sarawak but also our abundant fish and other seafood resources that may now (fall under) China’s new map.
"We know that the Federal Government does not recognise China’s new map but is our government prepared for encroachment by marine militia-accompanied Chinese fishermen with their massive fishing boats?" she asked.
She said that in January 2020, Chinese fishing vessels, accompanied by its Coast Guard, encroached in waters of Natuna Island, Indonesia and caused the biggest stand-off in South-East Asia’s history when the Indonesian government sent its warships to protect the area.
"We want to know if Sabah is ready to face encroachment by China's fishermen because such an act will ultimately cause the prices of fish and seafood products in the state to soar," she said.
Warisan deputy president Datuk Darell Leiking had recently urged Malaysia to assert itself within Asean over food security issues threatening the region and to formulate a joint solution to reduce their impact.
He said in view of the rice export ban by Vietnam and India, Malaysia could suggest an agricultural trade-off among Asean member countries for a certain time to enable non-exporting countries such as the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia to adjust.
