LUMUT – Manjung residents were willing to queue up as early as 6am to purchase five-kg imported rice for only RM1 during the “Misi Jual Beras RM1” programme held at Kg Datuk Seri Kamaruddin’s field here today.
The program started at 9.30am and took only about half an hour to be completely sold out.
Siti Nordiana Kassim, 25, from Taman Samudera said she learned about the programme from social media through her neighbour yesterday.
“I have never had this opportunity (to buy rice for RM1) before. My neighbour and I came here early because we did not want to miss out on buying it,” she told reporters.
Senior citizen Halijah Kassim, 65, from Kg Datuk Seri Kamaruddin said she started queueing at 7am.
“At first, I thought this programme was just a scam because there has never been anyone selling rice for only RM1. However, when the village head promoted it in our WhatsApp group, only then did I believe it.
“This programme should be held more often because the price of rice has suddenly gone up. So, it helps reduce our expenses,” she said.
Suraya Ibrahim, 42, from Ayer Tawar here said the RM1 rice provided relief for her, as she spends around RM50 to purchase rice for her family’s needs.
“Even though I can only buy a bag of rice, it still lightens my family’s monthly expenses, which are covered by my husband,” said the mother of two.
The inaugural programme organised by Misi Rakyat, a non-governmental organisation, provided 1,000 bags of rice and distributed an additional 120 bags for free to selected recipients, including the underprivileged, senior citizens and pregnant women.
Meanwhile, Misi Rakyat founder Nur Ahmad Faiz Mohd Azmi said the programme would be held in Kedah on Tuesday.
“We want to assist the less privileged in buying rice, considering the sudden increase in the price of this staple food.
“We also hope that this programme can be implemented nationwide if there are parties willing to contribute to this initiative,” he said. – Bernama, September 24, 2023
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