SITIAWAN: The Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry has not dismissed the possibility that the price of imported rice may rise in the future as it is not a controlled item.
Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek (pic) said several factors could contribute to the rise in price, including the higher global price of rice and the depreciation of the ringgit.
"However, this is mere speculation. The ceiling price of imported rice is not controlled but according to regulations, it cannot be sold at a lower price than local rice to protect the national rice industry.
"Maybe, what the Rice Wholesalers' Association said is correct since there are signs that the global price of rice has risen.
"One tonne of imported rice used to be between US$340 (RM1,461) and US$350 (RM1,504), but now there are signs that it can reach US$400 (RM1,719) per tonne," he told a press conference after attending the launch of the Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Fisheries College at Kampung Acheh Fisheries Complex by the Perak's Sultan Nazrin Shah on Tuesday.
Ahmad Shabery also said that rise of global oil prices could affect the price of imported rice, while natural disasters like the one in Bangladesh recently resulted in a rise in demand for the commodity.
Earlier, Malaysian Rice Wholesalers Association president Wu Zi Lian predicted that the price of imported rice could rise by 10% by the end of the year. – Bernama
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