THERE is sufficient supply of white rice in the country, said Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas).

It said the supply was enough to meet the needs of consumers in the country.

“In managing the supply of imported rice, Bernas has channelled 630,000 tonnes of white rice from January to August, an increase of 38% from the average monthly supply for the last five years.

“This means supply is more than enough, without the government having to use its buffer stocks,” it said in a statement today.

The statement came following public concerns over local white rice supplies.

The national rice corporation said the increase in the demand for local white rice was caused by a shift in demand by consumers, contract providers and other food industry players, which was caused by the price difference between local rice and imported rice.

It said that as a ‘buyer of last resort’, Bernas’s average hold on the local rice market was only around 10%, while the remainder was bought and processed by privately-owned factories.

“However, Bernas is always committed to and supports all intervention programs implemented by the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry to ensure the supply of local rice.” it said.

On September 1, Bernas announced it was raising the selling price of imported white rice nationwide from RM2,350 per tonne to RM3,200 per tonne. – September 28, 2023.