Minister Mustapha Sakmud confirms Sabah’s rice stocks are adequate, urges public to avoid panic buying after shortages at some supermarkets
KOTA KINABALU: Rice supplies in Sabah remain sufficient despite recent shortages reported at several major supermarkets in the Sepanggar area.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud confirmed that monitoring shows rice stocks across the state are adequate. He obtained detailed updates from the Sabah office of Padiberas Nasional Berhad and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
“I also visited storage warehouses to assess the supply firsthand, and our monitoring confirms that stocks are sufficient for Kota Kinabalu and the rest of Sabah,” he said in a Facebook post.
He noted that the shortages in some supermarkets were caused by a surge in purchases driven by panic buying rather than an actual supply issue. This situation caused major supermarkets and chain grocery stores to run out of stock faster than usual.
Traditional markets and smaller shops continue to have sufficient supplies according to the minister. “I urge the public to avoid panic buying and instead adopt prudent, needs-based grocery shopping,” he added.
He also stressed that the MADANI Government remains committed to safeguarding the nation’s food security through coordinated monitoring. Regular, integrated monitoring will be intensified across relevant ministries to ensure public welfare remains protected.
