Govt not doing a U-turn on white rice grade as nothing was finalised, says Fahmi

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has not made a U-turn on the grading of white rice as it is just a proposal and not finalised by the Cabinet, says Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

"There has been no notification or discussion in the Cabinet regarding the ruling (for a single grade of white rice). So it is not a U-turn.

"However, I saw the statement by the chairman of the Task Force (Food Cluster), National Cost of Living Action Council (NACCOL), Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal. It was well intended, he wanted to help reduce the price of goods," he said.

Fahmi, who is also unity government spokesman and the Lembah Pantai MP, was speaking to reporters after the Lembah Pantai Parliament Khatan ceremony at Masjid Al-Khadijah in Pantai Dalam, here on Saturday (Feb 17).

He also emphasised on the necessity for discussions and coordination within the rice ecosystem, involving entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, and retailers.

In a statement on Saturday, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu announced that the government had yet to make a decision on the creation of a single Madani Malaysia White Rice grade for the country.

He said any announcement or decision made must be guided by the Padi and Rice Control Act 1994 and also be notified to the Cabinet.

This was in response to Syed Abu's announcement on Feb 14, where he proposed the consolidation of Local White Rice (SST) and Imported White Rice (SSI) into a single category named Madani Malaysia White Rice.

On Friday (Feb 16), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the issue of price controls for rice would be among the main agenda at the NACCOL meeting next week. – Bernama