National Action Council on Cost of Living (Naccol) Task Force (Food Cluster) chairperson Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal has accused Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) of lying over the proposal to import white rice from Pakistan.
This comes after Bernas claimed that it had never held any discussion with him on the matter.
In a strongly worded statement, Syed Abu Hussin said he had met Bernas officials on Dec 11 last year to seek permission to import 100,000-tonne metrics of white rice from Pakistan, adding the meeting was organised at the request of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
“On Dec 20, three representatives from Bernas met and told me that they would not allow Pakistan’s white rice to be brought to Malaysia.
“My question is, why did Bernas lie about not having any discussions with my team? Why can’t they tell the truth?” he asked.
On Jan 1, Syed Abu Hussin said the government is considering importing white rice from Pakistan to address ongoing issues with supply and pricing.
He also said the proposal, submitted to Bernas, has Anwar's consent but has yet to be finalised.
“I accompanied the prime minister to Pakistan, where 28 exporters expressed readiness to supply 100,000 tonnes of rice to us,” Bernama reported him as saying.
Yesterday, Bernas claimed that it had never held any discussions on the matter.
It also stressed that Malaysia is not having any white rice shortage supply.
“We urge those involved to issue statements based on facts and any discussion held to ensure there is no confusion on the matter or impact on the stability of rice prices locally,” Berita Harian reported Bernas as saying.
Why reject cheaper offer?
Unimpressed, Syed Abu Hussin challenged Bernas to explain why it was rejecting the import of Pakistani white rice, claiming it was cheaper than those from other countries.
“In my previous meetings, I informed them (Bernas) that the exporters from Pakistan have agreed to slash prices to RM20 per pack.
“If Bernas is against this, then it should slash its imported white rice pricing, which is currently at RM28 per pack at the factories,” he said.
Syed Abu Hussin then turned his attention to Kawalselia Padi dan Beras Negara, the agency responsible for managing the nation’s rice prices and supply, and criticised it for alleged inaction.
“Why is Kawalselia Padi dan Beras Negara allowing this price manipulation to continue although it is burdening the rakyat, who are forced to pay more for imported white rice?” he asked.
Syed Abud Hussin added there is a need to import white rice from Pakistan to cover the shortage of local white rice in the nation.
“And why Kawalselia Padi dan Beras Negara is still unable to find out what is the cause of the local white rice shortage?” he asked, adding that the agency pointing the blame to the recent floods was unacceptable. - Mkini
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