Fama asked to subsidise the transport of rice to rural Sabah and Sarawak

KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) will be asked to subsidise the transportation of imported white rice to the rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak.

Agriculture and Food Security Deputy Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said that this would ensure that people in rural areas would benefit from the subsidised pricing.

The move is necessary to ensure that the sales price of subsidised imported white rice in the interior areas of Sabah and Sarawak remains below RM31 per 10kg, he said.

He said in Peninsular Malaysia, the government was currently paying FAMA to cover the transport costs for sending local white rice.

"In Sabah, I will also bring the same proposal to FAMA as an agency under the ministry to provide logistical support to bring rice to the interior.

"The profit margin of selling local white rice in Peninsular Malaysia is only 50 cents per bag, and we have to look at the situation in Sabah and Sarawak as well," he said during a monitoring visit to a supermarket here on Saturday (Oct 7).

Chan also said that the government was taking measures to step up enforcement by various agencies to ensure that the subsidised rise is not smuggled out of the country.