Ministry to hold talks following India's approval to export 170,000 tonnes of white rice to Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR - The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (KPKM) will hold a discussion following the approval from the Indian government to export 170,000 tonnes of non-Basmati white rice to Malaysia.

Its minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the price would also be discussed and details were needed on several matters before making any further decisions.

"We will first see what the price is before making any move in Malaysia because this is new (only) at the agreement stage, there will be the next stage which is price negotiations and so on,” he said.

He said this after the pre-launch of the 2023 National Farmers, Breeders and Fishermen’s Day today.

Yesterday, the Indian government approved the export of 170,000 tonnes of non-Basmati white rice to Malaysia as a sign of special friendship between the two countries.

According to the Indian High Commission here, the decision also reflects the close ties between India and Malaysia and is in line with India’s ongoing policy to support governments that are allies in maintaining domestic food security.

The decision to allow the special allocation of white rice to Malaysia was communicated by the Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr S. Jaishankar to Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir via a phone call on the same day. - BERNAMA