SEREMBAN: The Negeri Sembilan government has asked the state’s Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) to make purchases and applications for an additional supply of local white rice (BPT).
State senior exco Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias said this was due to the 20 metric tonnes of BPT or 2,000 packets of 10 kilogrammes (kg), for the BPT distribution intervention initiative, which began today, being inadequate to meet the needs of the population within a week.
“I received a report that this supply will run out this afternoon. This programme needs to be done regularly, including with the involvement of the Farmers’ Organisation Authority (LPP), to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of rice for the public.
“We will try our best because this shortage occurs all over the country. We are confident that this situation can be resolved. If we supply at least 40 metric tonnes of BPT a week, it will solve many problems,” he told reporters, after inspecting BPT sales at the FAMA operations centre, here.
He also said that no increase in the price of local white rice was reported statewide, and asked the public not to resort to panic buying, as the shortage of the staple food was only temporary.
Meanwhile, the state Paddy and Rice Regulatory (KPB) Authority director Irwan Ahmad Rejab said the monitoring found no reports of local rice supply being repackaged and sold as imported rice, and there were no cases of rice being smuggled or kept.
“In the market, BPT is always distributed by the supplier; only when there is an increase in the price of imported white rice, the supply of BPT in the market quickly runs out, and the supplier takes five to seven days to send in the new supply,” he said.
He also advised the public not to worry as the supply of local white rice is expected to recover soon.
“My advice to consumers is to buy BPT just for family use, as we will always increase the supply. We have also appointed three wholesalers, with a quota of 300 metric tonnes, to meet the needs of BPT in the state,” he said.
Housewife, Anisah Baharom, 42, said that she had been at the sales centre as early as 8 am to get BPT, after learning about it through social media yesterday.
“I came early because I was afraid of insufficient stock available, as it is difficult to buy BPT at supermarkets and grocery stores. It is expensive to buy the imported rice. Alhamdulillah I was able to buy 10 kg of rice,” she said.-Bernama
