By Admin
Monday March 31.2014
BY DAP STAFF
KUALA LUMPUR:- At the Parliament
sitting this morning, the Minister for Agriculture and Agro-based Industries,
Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, assured the MP for Sandakan that Retailers in
urban area would be allowed to sell subsidized rice.
During the debate of the Motion of Thanks to the Speech of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, Stephen Wong Tien (Picture) Fatt, Member of Parliament for Sandakan from DAP, urged the Minister to revoke the Ministry’s Order dated 18 February 2014, issued by the Director General of the Paddy and Rice Control Section of the Ministry.
Under the said Order, beginning from April 1, wholesalers are no longer permitted to sell subsidized rice, consisting of 15% broken rice in 10kg blue packages (ST15% / S15%), to
many of the usual retail outlets such as hypermarkets, supermarkets and grocery shops. Those retailers who are allowed to sell the subsidized rice has been restricted to those under the categories of, or within the areas of, FELDA, Co-operatives, e-Kasih, Kedai Runcit 1 Malaysia, rural, low cost housing, etc., which are basically retail outlets in non-urban areas.
Wong pointed out to the Minister that there are also many poor people residing in urban areas who are in need of the subsidized rice. Under the Order, it would make it difficult for them to find the retail outlets which sell the subsidized rice, because there are not many such outlets, for example Kedai Runcit 1 Malaysia, in towns like Sandakan.
The Minister explained that the purpose of the Order is to ensure that the subsidized rice would reach its intended beneficiaries, i.e. Malaysian citizens of the lower- and middle-income groups. Therefore, to allow retail outlets such as hypermarkets and supermarkets to sell it would mean that the subsidized rice could end up in the hands of commercial operators such as restaurants, and non-citizens such as Banglas and Nepalese, who are not the intended beneficiaries.
On the other hand, if the sale of subsidized rice is restricted to retail shops in low cost housing areas, for example, the retailer would be able to recognize the purchasers, and to know whether they are actually the residents in the area.
However, Wong responded, this would mean that the traditional grocery shops in urban areas would no longer be able to sell the subsidized rice. It would be unfair to them and their usual customers.
To this, the Minister stood up and assured Wong that such grocery shops would still be allowed to sell the subsidized rice, and that Sandakan would not face shortage of subsidized rice
During the debate of the Motion of Thanks to the Speech of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, Stephen Wong Tien (Picture) Fatt, Member of Parliament for Sandakan from DAP, urged the Minister to revoke the Ministry’s Order dated 18 February 2014, issued by the Director General of the Paddy and Rice Control Section of the Ministry.
Under the said Order, beginning from April 1, wholesalers are no longer permitted to sell subsidized rice, consisting of 15% broken rice in 10kg blue packages (ST15% / S15%), to
many of the usual retail outlets such as hypermarkets, supermarkets and grocery shops. Those retailers who are allowed to sell the subsidized rice has been restricted to those under the categories of, or within the areas of, FELDA, Co-operatives, e-Kasih, Kedai Runcit 1 Malaysia, rural, low cost housing, etc., which are basically retail outlets in non-urban areas.
Wong pointed out to the Minister that there are also many poor people residing in urban areas who are in need of the subsidized rice. Under the Order, it would make it difficult for them to find the retail outlets which sell the subsidized rice, because there are not many such outlets, for example Kedai Runcit 1 Malaysia, in towns like Sandakan.
The Minister explained that the purpose of the Order is to ensure that the subsidized rice would reach its intended beneficiaries, i.e. Malaysian citizens of the lower- and middle-income groups. Therefore, to allow retail outlets such as hypermarkets and supermarkets to sell it would mean that the subsidized rice could end up in the hands of commercial operators such as restaurants, and non-citizens such as Banglas and Nepalese, who are not the intended beneficiaries.
On the other hand, if the sale of subsidized rice is restricted to retail shops in low cost housing areas, for example, the retailer would be able to recognize the purchasers, and to know whether they are actually the residents in the area.
However, Wong responded, this would mean that the traditional grocery shops in urban areas would no longer be able to sell the subsidized rice. It would be unfair to them and their usual customers.
To this, the Minister stood up and assured Wong that such grocery shops would still be allowed to sell the subsidized rice, and that Sandakan would not face shortage of subsidized rice
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