KUALA LUMPUR: Unscrupulous quarters found to have been illegally mixing local white rice with imported white rice to hoodwink consumers will soon face the full brunt of the law when the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry carries out enforcement under the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 (Act 730).
Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali (pic) said the ministry will be leveraging on Section 5 of the Act, noting that this will assist in identifying those who misled buyers with false declarations on rice packaging.
“This includes offences like swapping packages or labels on rice bags,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Under Section 5, corporations found to have committed the offence will face a fine of up to RM250,000 for the first offence and up to RM500,000 for the second or subsequent offences.
Non-corporate bodies, meanwhile, will face a fine of up to RM100,000 for the first offence, or a jail term of up to three years, or both. For the second or subsequent offences, they can be fined up to RM250,000 or imprisoned up to five years, or both.
Armizan said rice sample analysis will be critical to identify the content of rice sold here to enable efficient enforcement under Act 730.
“As the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) has expertise in this field, we will refer to Mardi as the competent authority,” he said, adding that the ministry is also strengthening its standard operating procedures to enhance enforcement against the mixing of local white rice and imported white rice.
“Investigations here will encompass all aspects, including rice sample exhibits and admissibility of evidence in court.”
Armizan also said the Chemistry Department will be roped in to assist in the matter as he underlined the seriousness of curbing cheating.
“Apart from protecting consumers, these efforts will also assist the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry’s agenda to improve the national padi and rice industry,” he said.
On Feb 26, Mardi revealed that tests on 5,000 samples of what was supposedly “imported rice” found that up to 50% of them have traces of local rice, confirming the long-held suspicion that it is a common practice to mix the two types of rice, especially local varieties that receive government subsidies.
The 5,000 samples tested came from 55 bags that had been sent to Mardi from various rice factories throughout the country.
These samples were sent between September 2023 and March 2024 by enforcement personnel from the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry’s padi and rice control section and the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry.
Consumer groups have since called on the government to take action against these unscrupulous quarters through the Trade Descriptions Act, Consumer Protection Act, and the Food Act.
