PUTRAJAYA: The country's physical stock of rice to date is 1,096,964 tonnes, including 290,000 tonnes of rice buffer stock, which is a stable quantity, able to cover the people’s needs for 5.48 months, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM).
In a statement today, KPKM gave its assurance that the supply of rice as the country's staple food in the market is sufficient to meet the needs of the people.
“Furthermore, the amount of the country’s physical stock rice compared to the total population is one of the highest and guaranteed in the region,“ said KPKM.
Currently, the distribution of local white rice (BPT) stock is actively being carried out and the reduction in the price of imported white rice (BPI) of between RM2 to RM3 has also been implemented to meet the needs of consumers as finalised by the National Action Council on Cost of Living (NACCOL) last month.
According to KPKM, the government has also implemented various initiatives to ensure an increase in local rice production, particularly through the 12 Rice Wave Initiatives and among those drafted is the expansion of the Large-Scale Smart Padi (Smart SBB) Ala Sekinchan programme, a five-season rice planting programme for two years and initiatives to strengthen infrastructure padi field irrigation.
“KPKM also encourages the cultivation and consumption of other nutritious and healthy crops by the people apart from the national staple food and this is the main emphasis of KPKM in implementing the national food security agenda in line with the National Agro-Food Policy (DAN) 2021-2030,“ said the ministry.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu on Jan 16 was reported to have said the Rice Wave Initiative was launched this year to raise the country's rice and rice industry to a more efficient and resilient level.
He was reported to have said that KPKM outlined 12 programmes to be implemented through the initiative as a 'change trigger' for the transformation of the country's rice and rice industry, among which is introducing a new policy for Certified Padi Seed insentive (IBPS).
