NATIONAL rice distributor Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) will increase the supply of the ST15 grade rice in the market by 9,000 tonnes to 20,000 tonnes a month, beginning today.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said Bernas had been told to do so because of a shortage of the ST15 grade rice.

Locally-grown ST15 is price-controlled and retails from RM1.40 to RM1.65 per kilogramme, depending on the location.

Demand for ST15 has increased from 10 to 20 per cent.

"From tomorrow, the supply of ST15 rice will increase," Mustapa announced in the Dewan Rakyat when he wound up the debate on a motion on the rising cost of rice tabled by Salahuddin Ayob (Pas-Kubang Kerian).



Mustapa said his ministry, via the Economic Planning Unit, was also studying the effectiveness of Bernas in discharging its duties.

"We will wait for the study to be completed before making any decision," he said in reply to complaints from members of the House that Bernas' monopoly over rice supplies had contributed to the shortage.

Mustapa said the government was aware of the difficulties faced by the people due to the global increase in the price of rice.

He said the world price of rice had sky-rocketed from US$371 (RM1,187) per tonne to US$1,100 (RM3,520) per tonne which inevitably was reflected in the country.

He said the ST15 grade was in great demand because people who were eating imported rice had now switched to the cheaper Malaysian rice.

Mustapa said demand for the ST15 had also surged as makers of products such as noodles were switching to the local variant.

Earlier, in tabling the motion, Salahuddin said Bernas had failed to ensure adequate supply and this had triggered a shortage, causing anxiety among the public.

He said the monopoly enjoyed by Bernas had spawned other problems.

Mahfuz Omar (Pas-Pokok Sena) said the government should terminate Bernas' monopoly and take over the distribution of rice.

"The government also appears hesitant in the way it was dealing with the situation," he said.

Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin said the reason for the increase in rice price was due to rice-producing countries limiting exports to meet domestic demand.

"At the same time, there are unscrupulous quarters taking advantage of the situation to maximise profit."