Not so easy to break agreement with Bernas, says Mat Sabu

 

On Sept 1, Bernas announced an increase in the price of imported white rice from RM2,350 to RM3,200 per tonne.

PETALING JAYA: The government will need a “strong reason” if it is to end Bernas’s monopoly on rice imports, says agriculture and food security minister Mohamad Sabu.

Speaking to reporters in Putrajaya, Mohamad, better known as Mat Sabu, said the government was bound by a 10-year agreement with Bernas which runs from Jan 11, 2021 to Jan 10, 2031.

“We have discussed this issue (breaking the rice monopoly) before … if we want to break this agreement, we will need time and a strong reason (to do so),” he said in a Bernama report.

“If we want to do an overhaul, there needs to be discussions with the economy ministry, finance ministry, as well as the Prime Minister’s Department as the rice issue involves food security.

“In this very important matter, I am confident that the Cabinet can make recommendations or changes from time to time,” he said after officiating the 25th Malaysian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage Conference in Putrajaya.

On Sept 1, Bernas announced an increase in the price of imported white rice from RM2,350 to RM3,200 per tonne.

It said factors such as climate change, weakening foreign exchange rates, high operational costs, and regional conflicts had impacted the global rice trading market, which was further compounded by India banning the export of white rice in July.

The resulting reports about a rice shortage in supermarkets has seen the government warning the public against panic buying and assuring them that it has sufficient stock of local white rice. - FMT