KUALA LUMPUR – An opposition lawmaker scoffed at the government for persistently harping on its Keluarga Malaysia slogan when rice farmers earn a meagre fraction of the millions made in profit by Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) each month.
Not mincing his words, Khoo Poay Tiong (Kota Melaka-PH) questioned Putrajaya’s insistence on allowing Bernas to be the sole importer of rice and tasking it with distributing industry subsidies.
“This is senseless! Subsidies are meant to be the responsibility of the government, not a private entity,” he said when debating the Control of Padi and Rice (Amendment) Bill 2022 in the Dewan Rakyat today.
"We know this company only prioritises profit. Who is its owner? Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary. I looked at its financial statements, and every year they make exorbitant profits.
“In 2019, they profited RM135 million and in 2020, it was RM170 million. That year, they declared dividends of RM670 million to its shareholders.”
Khoo said in comparison, based on information gathered by Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim, local small players in the area only make about a measly RM1,000 each month.
“What Keluarga Malaysia concept are you talking about?” he said.
Khoo was particularly unimpressed by Bernas’s hefty profits from selling rice at a higher price despite the produce by local farmers usually much better in quality than the ones imported.
“Local rice is sold at a ceiling price of RM2.60 per kg, while imported rice by Bernas is sold here for RM3.20. So, what is Keluarga Malaysia?
“We hope the government can help these farmers increase their income so that they can continue to produce rice in order to ensure food security is maintained.”
The amendment to the Control of Padi and Rice Act 1994 aims to empower the minister to appoint public officers as deputy directors-general, and to introduce a new provision for compoundable offences under the act. – The Vibes, July 19, 2022
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