SHAH ALAM: Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said despite the temporary shortage of local white rice, there is no need to stock up rice at home.
He urged the public to continue buying rice at "normal amounts" following claims that there was panic buying of local white rice among consumers.
"I hope everyone will buy rice according to their needs. If you need two bags of rice per month, then only buy two bags.
"If you buy more just to stock up because you heard that there will be no rice next month, then there will be shortages here and there."
He said this after conducting checks on the stock of local white rice at the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority's (Fama) Agrobazaar at Kampung Jalan Kebun here, today.
Responding to a statement by the Consumers Association of Kedah on Wednesday refuting claims of panic buying, Mohamad said this was merely the organisation's personal opinion.
"I am the minister, I have seen (incidences of panic buying) and received reports from my officers who have been carrying out their duties well."
He also said imported rice would be sold to business owners and restaurant operators at a wholesale price to ensure sufficient supply of local white rice to the masses.
Businesses, he added, would only be allowed to buy a maximum of 10 bags of local white rice at supermarkets.
Mohamad said the purchase limit had been implemented since early September.
He also said the ministry had a list of short and long-term solutions to address the local white rice crisis, including the RM3 billion allocation to the Muda Agriculture Development Authority to improve paddy cultivation infrastructures.
"Even in Indonesia, President Joko Widodo made a special address to his people on the rising cost of rice in Indonesia. So this is a global phenomenon, not just in Malaysia.
"In the short term, we will try to intervene and ensure enough supply for Malaysians, and in the long run, we hope all stakeholders will get involved to ensure sufficient stocks of rice in the country," he added.
Later, in a statement, Mohamad said his ministry would discuss with rice manufacturers and wholesalers to increase the stock of local white rice at Fama and Farmer's Organisation Authority (LPP) offices.
This was to prevent a repeat of the chaos during a purported "large-scale sale" of local white rice at Fama outlets in Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan and Bagan Datuk, Perak, where there was insufficient stock.
People who came to buy rice during the sale in Kuala Pilah had alleged that there was only 20 bags for sale.
"The commotion occurred due to insufficient stock reaching the outlet, thus causing some customers to be unhappy because they had been waiting for a long time," he said.
Mohamad said he had directed the Padi and Rice Regulatory Division to immediately discuss with manufacturers and wholesalers to increase the stock of local white rice to Fama and LPP to avoid such incidents in the future.