KUALA LUMPUR – The government is procuring only imported rice for its institutions to free up the supply of local rice for the domestic market, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
The move follows the reduction of the retail price of imported white rice by between RM2 and RM3 per 10kg since last month.
“All central contracts for military, police, schools, boarding schools are (buying) imported rice, so that the cheaper local rice can flow into the market. We are doing this now, which hasn’t been done before,” Anwar told staff of the Prime Minister’s Department at a monthly assembly in Putrajaya this morning.
He said this was one way the government was addressing a supply shortage of local rice.
Last month, the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry announced a cut of between RM2 and RM3 per 10kg for imported white rice beginning March 20.
The decision, finalised by the National Action Council on Cost of Living, is an intervention measure to manage the shortage of local white rice in the market.
The shortage of local white rice began last year, driven by Bernas’ move to hike the price of imported white rice and an export ban by India, leading to increased demand for local rice.
Meanwhile, Anwar said the current price of essential items such as chicken, eggs and cooking oil was still low and stable compared to their prices during the previous government, Bernama reported.
Yet, he said, there were still quarters who criticised the Madani government as if it had not done anything to ease the cost of living for the public.
“Don’t forget that in 2021 and 2022 the price of chicken was RM13 (per kg), now it is much lower, at RM9 to RM9.50 per kg.
“The opposition thinks we forgot, when they were in charge (administering the government), the price of 5kg of cooking oil was RM45 to RM50, now it is around RM27. For chicken eggs, to an extent, there were no eggs. Now, Alhamdullillah, (supply) is stable,” he said as reported by Bernama. – April 1, 2024