local white rice

The government should allocate more gazetted land areas for rice cultivation to ensure a consistent supply of local rice on the market, reducing dependence on imported rice. 

Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin told Scoop that such proposals could not be implemented as the supply of local rice, which has a ceiling price of RM26 per 10kg bag, is currently insufficient to meet demand.

Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the ministry, as the Naccol secretariat, has received confirmation from the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry that the issue of the country’s rice supply will be one of the matters to be raised for discussion. 

The proposal to introduce the Malaysia Madani White Rice as the sole category of local rice is illogical if issues surrounding pricing controls for rice and padi are not resolved, the chairman of Muda Agricultural Development Authority Datuk Ismail Salleh said.