Call to Sabahans to cease panic buying of rice

KOTA KINABALU - The Sabah Paddy and Rice Regulatory Board today advised the people in the state to cease panic buying of rice, saying there is sufficient supply of the subsidised commodity for all consumers.

Its director, Ab Alim Multazam, said the subsidised rice would reach all shops and supermarkets in the state in stages.

"Do not worry. There is enough supply of the subsidised rice. Every family should refrain from buying up to five bags of rice. Buy according to your needs. The supply of rice will be delivered in stages.

"Traders can restrict the purchase of subsidised rice to two bags per family to avoid disruption to the supply. This is entirely legal,” he said after monitoring the price and supply of subsidised rice in several hypermarkets, here.

The government, through the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, had announced a subsidy of RM950 per tonne for imported white rice for Sabah and Sarawak, which takes effect today.

Ab Alim also said that various types and brands of subsidised rice were imported at different prices, but the rice could only be sold to consumers in the state at prices not exceeding RM31 per 10-kg bag.

"The people in Sabah require about 22,000 to 23,000 tonnes of rice per month. As such, Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas) cannot deliver to Sabah more than 25,000 tonnes of rice per month.

"All of this rice will be distributed by existing licensed wholesalers. It will not be given to new wholesalers to avoid potential issues including wastage. We will closely monitor the supply of the subsidised rice through the reports provided by Bernas,” he said. - BERNAMA