'Rice subsidy shows govt cares for needy folk'

2009/11/07

By V. Shankar Ganesh

SABAK BERNAM: Starting next
month, about 200,000 needy families
in the country will enjoy rice
subsidies that will ease their financial
problems.

The Rice Subsidy for the People programme (Subur) will provide each family with subsidy coupons for up to 30kg of rice monthly.

In launching the Subur programme here last night, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said it was the best example of the gover nment’s efforts to ensure that it met the needs of the people.

He said the programme would touch the pulse of the people who needed it, in line with the 1Malaysia concept.

Speaking to a crowd of about 10,000 people here, Najib said the Finance Ministry would increase the allocation for the programme if it did not meet the demand.

“But it’s more than enough unless those receiving it start eating three plates of rice,” he said jokingly.

“This is a rice bowl issue and I don’t want the people to be lacking.

I don’t want to see empty kitchens, no school uniforms, incomplete houses or leaking r o o f s. ” Also present at the function at Dataran Tonggak 10 here were Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Noh Omar and Deputy Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Noriah Kasnon.

Najib said no other party, apart from Barisan Nasional, could carry out complete and proper programmes for the people.

“This is the people’s champion government and it will continue to fight for the people, unlike others who give little to the people but make a big deal out of it.” Najib said this was only part of the many programmes the government was carrying out.

A total of 52,317 hardcore poor families will get free Super Tempatan (ST) 15 rice, which will no longer be subsidised starting Dec 1, every month.

At the same time, 147,749 poor families and 57 welfare institutions will get RM10 discount vouchers a month to buy 10kg of the unsubsidised rice, which will retail at RM24.

Subur is being introduced to also check on abuse by certain quarter s.

Checks showed that only 6,000 of the 40,000 tonnes of subsidised rice released monthly since April 1 this year went to the poor, with the rest being taken up by restaurants, the food industry and foreigner s.

Currently, the government pays RM60 million monthly to selected rice millers and suppliers to produce this rice for the poor at RM18 per 10kg.

The Subur programme will cost the government RM8.3 million a month and will ensure that the rice reaches the needy.

Any miller or supplier can produce and supply ST15 rice from next month.

The distribution of the two types of vouchers will be done every six months and the vouchers will have the name and MyKad number of the recipients.

The poor will get a maximum of three vouchers per family a month depending on the number of dependants.

They can use the vouchers at retail outlets.

The discount vouchers may be used to buy more expensive varieties of rice but the recipients will have to pay the difference.

Anyone who needs the assistance but is not on the list may register with the various agencies under the Agriculture and Agrobased Industry