PETALING JAYA: Imported white rice is still being sold at old prices at Klang Valley supermarkets two days after the government announced there will be a price reduction.
Currently, imported white rice retails for between RM38 and RM45 per 10kg bag. With the announced price adjustment, a 10kg pack of imported white rice could go down to RM35.
Checks by The Star at several prominent supermarkets and hypermarket chains in the Klang Valley found that the prices differed depending on the brand and quality of the imported rice.
Over at a mid-range local supermarket, the imported rice were labelled RM37.99, RM43.30 or RM40.40.
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At another mid-range hypermarket chain, prices for imported white rice were RM36.99, RM38.99 and RM44.89 depending on the brand.
Prices at a higher mid-range hypermarket were a little bit more compared to other chains. The pricing for 10kg were RM36.99, RM37.99, RM40, RM41 and RM44.
The government announced on March 19 that the retail price of imported white rice would be reduced by RM2 to RM3.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu had said the decision was finalised by the National Action Council on Cost of Living to overcome the shortage of local white rice in the market following the announcement of imported white rice prices by Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) on Sept 1, 2023.
On March 20, Bernas announced the price adjustment for imported white rice from RM3,200 to RM3,000 per metric tonne.
Despite the government’s effort, consumers said they are still shouldering the continuous increase in cost of living.
Assistant manager Faridah Abdul, 54, said lowering the price for imported white rice does not necessarily represent the entirety of the situation.
“This reduction will only be felt by a certain group of people because in Malaysia, people eat different types of rice like white, fragrant, parboiled or basmati rice.
“So, how can this reduce our cost in terms of spending? What surprises me is that Malaysia has plenty of water and we have dams but there is no stability.
“In the midst of all this, the government is busy promoting electric vehicles. Where are we heading?” she said in response to the price reduction.
Executive Maryam Kamal, 31, from Ampang, said it was important to retain or cap the price of rice as it is a staple food.
“The reduction in the price of rice will somehow reduce the cost of living for fellow Malaysians since most of the subsidies given by the government are being revoked.
“As a rakyat who earns a B40 salary, we are hoping the government will consider implementing more reductions in terms of pricing for our daily necessities,” she said.
For homemaker Lina Abdullah, 53, price reductions would be better targeted at those in the B40 group.
“Kedah is deemed as the rice bowl of Malaysia and yet, we still have to import rice. This is the issue the government needs to address, so we can have more locally produced rice for the consumption of the population.
“People are feeling the pinch and this is not new. It is best that we look at how we can resolve these food security issues internally so that we can have lower pricing and more options for the people,” she said.
