KUALA TERENGGANU: The National Action Council on Cost of Living (NACCOL) urges the Padi and Rice Regulatory Division to immediately distribute local white rice to supermarkets nationwide.
NACCOL Task Force (Food Cluster) chairman, Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal said based on task force survey through the Civil Mobilisation Team, only a handful of supermarkets have supply of local white rice.
“Our team of 70 people visit at 70 locations every two days to monitor and ensure the presence of local white rice in the supermarkets. The report from this team found that only a few supermarkets have local white rice,“ he said when met by reporters after inspecting the supply of local white rice at a supermarket here today.
He said the supply of local white rice which is sold at a ceiling price of RM26 for every 10 kilogrammes is much needed by the people, especially in this fasting month and in the run-up to Hari Raya.
Previously, the NACCOL Meeting No. 1/2024 chaired by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim decided four things to overcome the issue of rice shortage in the market.
Among the actions included the government ordering that all current stocks of padi and rice that have been purchased by manufacturers amounting to 140,000 tonnes be processed and released for use in the local market immediately. -Bernama
