A Member of Parliament has raised concerns regarding whether Prime Minister and National Action Council on Cost of Living (Naccol) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been adequately informed about the stock and supply of local white rice in the country. In an interview with the New Straits Times, Naccol food cluster task force chairman Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal expressed doubts after his team discovered the true situation just three days ago.
According to Syed Abu Hussin, investigations by the task force's monitoring team at 30 locations across the peninsula revealed a shortage of local white rice in the market. He emphasized that it's unfair for the Prime Minister to face blame and criticism when the issue may stem from inaccurate information provided during Naccol meetings by officials responsible for reporting on rice stocks.
During one such meeting, the director-general of the Padi and Rice Control Division assured the Prime Minister that rice stocks were sufficient, but a representative from a hypermarket contradicted this claim. Syed Abu Hussin, also the Bukit Gantang MP, asserted that this discrepancy points to a failure in providing accurate information to the Prime Minister, complicating the matter further.
He called for accountability from the director-general of the Padi and Rice Control Division regarding the situation with the supply of local white rice. Syed Abu Hussin highlighted the importance of enforcement agencies fulfilling their duties to ensure affordable prices for consumers. However, over the past six months, rice prices have risen, burdening consumers financially.
Syed Abu Hussin reiterated his proposal to sell the proposed Madani white rice at RM30 for a 10kg packet. He claimed that this proposal considers the interests of stakeholders, including millers, padi farmers, and consumers. Rice millers have reportedly expressed willingness to purchase padi at RM1,500 per metric tonne, which is RM200 more than the ceiling price.
Additionally, he acknowledged the grievances of padi farmers, suggesting an increase in the ceiling price of padi to RM1,700 per metric tonne. Currently, the government subsidizes RM500 per metric tonne. Syed Abu Hussin proposed increasing this subsidy by an additional RM200 per metric tonne to support farmers without imposing excessive burdens on consumers.
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