Anis Syafiah Aslam Khan, 28, (in black) picking out a 10kg bag of imported white rice for her household, at a popular local hypermarket in George Town, Penang. (March 21,2024) —ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
Reports by N. TRISHA, FAZLEENA AZIZ, SARBAN SINGH and ANDY CHUA
GEORGE TOWN: For Anis Syafiah Aslam Khan, seeing the prices of imported white rice drop is music to the ears during these challenging times.
The 28-year-old junior executive said the move would help cushion the impact of the high cost of living, especially during the Ramadan period.
“My family usually finishes a bag of rice in a month but during Ramadan, we can consume more than two bags of rice.
“We break fast with plenty of rice and dishes cooked by my mother.
Silver lining: Anis Syafiah (left) and Karamjit say they are glad to find the price for imported rice has dropped especially when prices of other goods have increased. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
“As we are fasting, having a hearty meal is vital and eating rice really does make a difference.
“The prices of things are going up, so it is good that the price of imported rice has gone down.
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“We wanted to buy local white rice but it is always sold out. We have no choice but to resort to buying imported ones,” she said at a local hypermarket yesterday.
It was reported that the government, through the National Action Council on Cost of Living (Naccol), has agreed to reduce the retail price of imported white rice by RM2 to RM3 from Wednesday.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said that the current price of imported white rice, which is RM38 to RM45 per 10kg pack, is expected to drop to RM35 with the price adjustment.
He said the decision was made at the Naccol meeting on Tuesday.
Aside from the more affordable imported white rice, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also wants authorities to conduct regular monitoring and enforcement to ensure sufficient supply of local white rice in the market.
Security guard Karamjit Kaur, 50, said seeing the price of imported rice go down by RM3 is great as things are quite pricey these days.
“We need to budget but rice is an essential part of our meals. The government’s move is certainly helpful in the long run,” she said.
At a popular hypermarket chain, its branch manager Muhamad Emirol Ashraf Edy Noor said the price of 10kg imported white rice has gone down by RM3.
“It was RM39.49 but now it is RM36.49. Customers are happier, especially since it is difficult to get local white rice.
“Local rice is always sold out and we only get limited supply, usually 50 packs of 10kg bags which sells out almost immediately.
“The customers have no choice but to buy imported rice. It is nice that the prices have gone down,” he said.
At another popular supermarket, its senior supervisor T. Bala said the supermarket was already selling the imported white rice at a promotional price before the government’s announcement.
“We started promotions this month, selling the 5kg of rice at RM22.99 instead of RM25.
“We expect the prices to be lowered further. We are still waiting for the suppliers to give us the paperwork.
“A packet of 10kg rice is now RM38.99 after our discount, but it should go down by another RM2.
“This is great as we do not have stock of local white rice and customers have no choice to buy imported rice.
“It is fine when you have a small family but for large households or hawkers, it can become a burden.
“We know many who come to buy bags of rice for their catering businesses and it eats into their profits,” he said.
