‘Beras Melaka’ only for Malaysians, says state govt

 Melaka has sold 5,000 10kg bags of the special rice at RM26 each during the first harvest season this year.

Executive councillor Dr Akmal Saleh said more of the special rice will be sold in the second harvest season to meet public demand. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 The Melaka government’s 10kg bags of “Beras Melaka” are only for sale to Malaysians, says state rural development, agriculture and food security committee chairman Dr Akmal Saleh.

Akmal said the state produced 50 tonnes of rice during the first harvest season this year, of which 5,000 10kg bags were sold under the “Beras Melaka” initiative at RM26 each.

He said the sale of the rice is restricted to Malaysians to ensure that only citizens benefitted from the special rice, Bernama reported.

“To prevent leakage, ‘Beras Melaka’ was initially only sold through agencies like the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority of Melaka through farmers’ markets and agro bazaars, and not sold in supermarkets during the first season,” he said.

Akmal said more of the special rice would be sold in the second harvest season to meet public demand, adding that the rice was fragrant and not starchy. - FMT