KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah West Coast Smart Consumers Association has welcomed the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security’s decision to provide rice subsidies for imported rice in Sabah and Sarawak.
Its president, David Chan, said the announcement was good news for the B40 and the food outlets.
He said the rice subsidy would help reduce the cost of living because rice is a basic necessity for every household.
“Any rice price hike will certainly affect the overall cost of living,” he told Jesselton Times.
In this respect, he urged the public not to speculate about a shortage of rice to avoid panic-buying.
Earlier, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu announced in Kuala Lumpur that the federal government
would provide a subsidy of RM950 per tonne for imported white rice in the states of Sabah and Sarawak from Oct. 5.
The ministry also asked the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) to increase the distribution of local white rice to rural areas.
