KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has agreed to implement four additional intervention measures to overcome the rice supply issue in the country.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said these included directing the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) to increase the distribution of local white rice in rural areas, including sundry shops.
“Because the sales margin of local white rice is only 50 sen per 10 kilogrammes of rice, the government will bear the transportation cost for FAMA,” he told a special press conference here today.
Mohamad said Anwar agreed to the intervention measures when he met him today.
He said that for Sabah and Sarawak, the government agreed to give a subsidy of RM950 per tonne for imported white rice (BPI) beginning Oct 5, enabling BPI to be obtained at a retail price of RM31 per 10 kg.
He said the government was taking this action due to the limited production of local white rice in the two states.
