PETALING JAYA: Rice and other food items dumped at a rubbish disposal site in Temerloh, Pahang, were found to be unfit for consumption, says the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry.
As such, the ministry urged all parties not to speculate as the issue is under investigation under the Control of Padi and Rice Act 1994.
“Following the discovery of the items, officers from the Temerloh Padi and Rice Supervision Office were sent to the area near Jalan Pintasan Rumpun Makmur-Kampung Gunung Senyum.
“Based on preliminary investigations, the officers established that the rice was spoilt and unfit for consumption,” the ministry said in a statement yesterday.
It added that all activities involving the disposal of rice should be referred to the Office.
The ministry also said any further information or complaints regarding the issue could be submitted via the Padi and Rice Supervision Office complaint portal or directly to the ministry.
Images of rice packets, tins of sardine and flour dumped at a site in Temerloh went viral on Thursday.
Following the discovery, former Kuala Krau MP Datuk Seri Ismail Mohamed Said came forward to take responsibility over the disposal of the food items.
In a statement yesterday, the former deputy home minister said he had purchased the items with personal funds for his constituents when he was Kuala Krau MP.
Ismail said he had received complaints on April 5 that a stench was coming from the storehouse for the food.
“Several dead rats were found inside and the rice was also contaminated with rice weevils. Some of the rice was distributed to poultry farmers and the remainder was disposed of,” he said.
Ismail, who is a former deputy Dewan Rakyat speaker, added that the food was not purchased with allocations from the federal or Pahang governments, nor did he use any flood relief or Covid-19 pandemic allocations.
