APs still required to import rice

 

Approved permits to import rice are still in effect, says the agriculture and food industries ministry.

PETALING JAYA: Approved permits (AP) are still required to import rice, said the agriculture and food industries ministry today.

“The APs to import rice are still in effect,” it said in a statement.

This comes just a day after Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the end of APs for the importation of food.

APs were previously required to import mangoes, coconuts, papayas, some vegetables, meat, and nine different types of seafood.

The ministry said that although APs were no longer required to import food, importers still needed to have an import permit (IP) for their products to ensure biosecurity control at the country’s borders.

The IPs were also to ensure that imported products were free from diseases and pests, as well as produced in facilities that were approved by the government.

“The ministry will continue to play an important role in ensuring the viability of food at every level of the food chain, and so that the people will have an adequate food supply that is nutritious and safe to eat,” said the ministry.

“The welfare of local food producers will also be preserved.” - FMT