Reject ‘cartel-like’ Madani white rice plan, Umno Youth urges PM

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh says no trader will sell local white rice at RM26 per 10kg bag if the Madani rice is sold at RM30. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Umno Youth has urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim not to implement a proposal to produce “Madani white rice”, which would combine local white rice and imported white rice in one price category.

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh said the proposal must not be approved as it would abolish the local white rice category, which is currently sold cheaper than the proposed price for the Madani rice.

He said the Madani white rice proposal, by Bukit Gantang MP Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal, appeared to be in support of cartels, in mixing local and imported rice.

The proposal will be up for discussion this week at a meeting of the National Action Council on the Cost of Living, to be chaired by Anwar.

“When we implement this Madani white rice, local rice will be mixed with imported rice and then sold at a higher price than local rice,” said Akmal. “If the Madani rice is sold at RM30 (for 10kg), then no one will sell local white rice at RM26. Traders would rather sell at RM30 for more profit, while still paying our padi farmers the same amount,” he said in a Facebook post.

Syed Hussin, who chairs the food prices and cost of living committee of the council, has proposed that “Madani white rice” be made the sole category of white rice in Malaysia from March 1, for sale at RM30 per 10kg bag, RM15.50 for 5kg and RM3.50 for 1kg.

Local white rice is subject to price control, and is sold at RM2.60 per kg, in 10kg, 5kg and 1kg bags.