Enough rice for over four months, Dewan Rakyat told

KUALA LUMPUR: The nation's rice stocks stood at 881,554 tonnes as of Feb 27, says Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.

He said that this means the country has enough stock for 4.41 months.

This included 591,554 tonnes in factories, wholesale and retail outlets.

“Local rice and padi amounted to 107,540 tonnes while imported rice amounted to 32,627 tonnes,” he said in a parliamentary written reply on Wednesday (March 6).

ALSO READ: Govt ready to examine, restructure existing rice system, says Mohamad Sabu

Fathul Huzir Ayob (PN-Gerik) had asked about contingency plans to ensure sufficient rice supplies in the event of shortages.

Separately, Mohamad said some 2,477 agrofood producers were affected by the north-east monsoon late last year.

This amounted to losses of RM24.09 mil from Nov 11 to Jan 3.

Mohamad said the ministry had also approved some RM8.88mil in allocations to aid agrofood producers affected by the floods.

He said Agrobank was offering flood aid plans to its customers affected by the monsoon, including a moratorium of up to six months for eligible clients.

“The ministry hopes these initiatives will help those affected to rebound and rebuild their capacity while contributing to the growth of the national agrofood sector,” he said in a written reply to Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (PN-Beluran).

Ronald had asked if the ministry had identified the number of farmers affected by the north-east monsoon, and the amount of aid distributed to them.