THE Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) has reiterated its commitment to reassessing the policies and strategies for the supply of local white rice (BPT).
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, said the reassessment of the policy will take into account several factors including control prices, production costs and market trends as a step towards balancing the country's paddy and rice industries.
The results of the assessment will later be used to streamline the rice supply policy in the future after the end of the 2025 Subsidized BPT Special Programme on August 31.
"The termination of this programme is to provide space for KPKM to carry out a market assessment and resolve various issues that have been identified throughout its implementation period.
"The results of this assessment will be used to streamline the country's rice supply policy and strategy in the future," he said in a written reply in the Dewan Rakyat.
Mohamad was responding to a question from Muhammad Ismi Mat Taib (PN-Parit) who asked KPKM to state the initiative taken in reviewing the BPT control price in line with the current costs borne by farmers and rice farmers.
Mohamad said that the results of the survey on demand trends since the implementation of the program found that demand for BPT only reached about 75 percent compared to the original target of 24 million kampits.
"The results of the KPKM engagement session with groups of farmers, manufacturers and wholesalers concluded that consumers currently tend to buy rice based on brand and taste and are not influenced by the price factor of RM26 for a 10-kilogram kampit as the retail price of imported white rice (BPI) over the past six months is no longer too different from the BPT price.
"This is following the adjustment of BPI sales at the BERNAS warehouse gate from RM2,800 to RM2,600 per metric ton which took effect on May 15. As a result of the BPI price adjustment, KPKM found that the retail price of BPI has now dropped between RM1 to RM2 for each 10-kilogram kampit.
"As a result of the above assessment, KPKM intends to submit proposals on the direction of white rice supply in the country," he said.
He added that the proposal will also examine a mechanism to address the practice of rice mixing for government consideration in the near future as a comprehensive long-term solution for the sake of balance in the paddy and rice industry.
“KPKM hopes that all efforts being implemented will receive the support of all parties for the good and future of the country’s paddy and rice industry,” he said. - October 7, 2025
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