ABOUT 650 metric tonnes of rice of various grades, including imported white rice, were seized from an unlicensed warehouse in Sibu.
The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry said the seizure was worth RM2.1 million.
Enforcement officers, assisted by police and border agents, raided the warehouse on May 15 on suspicion that it was unlicensed.
“Inspections revealed that the business premises did not have a licence under Act 522, Control of Padi and Rice Act 1994,” the ministry said in a statement.
It added that the authorities were also checking to see if the owner of the seized goods was smuggling rice out of the country.
In October last year, a government subsidy of RM950 per metric tonne of imported white rice was introduced for wholesalers inSabah, Sarawak, and Labuan to keep the ceiling retail price at RM31 for 10 kilogrammes of rice.
The ministry said smuggling subsidised goods is “an irresponsible act that causes losses to the country and prevents the public from purchasing these goods”. – May 22, 2024.
