> Rice is now cheaper

Rice in the country is now cheaper by an average of 20sen per kilo as prices of consumer goods continue to slide following the cut in fuel prices.

The grade of rice with 5% broken grains (Super Special Tempatan 5%) which was priced at RM2.80 is now RM2.60 per kilo while the price of Super Special Tempatan 10% has been cut from RM2.70 to RM2.50 per kilo.

Prices of imported rice from Thailand are also slashed by 50sen from RM3.50 to RM3.00 per kilo.

However, Super Tempatan 15% will be maintained at RM1.80 per kilo as it was subsidised by the Government, said Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed.

“The Government used a total of RM800mil to subsidise the rice where RM400mil was allocated for rice produced from the Peninsular while another RM400mil was allotted for rice from East Malaysia,” he told reporters after launching the ministry’s weekend activities at the Malaysian Agro-Exposition Park (MAEPS) in Serdang on Saturday.

Mustapa added that other items like chicken and chilli remained stable in price while prices of vegetables and fruits depended on its day-to-day supply.

“Long beans are recently a bit more expensive due to limited supply as weather changes affected the amount of yield,” he said.

Mustapa also announced in his speech that RM250mil was being invested in the MAEPS site to improve its facilities and promote agricultural activities among the public as well as students in schools around the area.

He said activities, which will be held at the park every Saturday, were in line with the Bumi Hijau campaign aimed to encourage people to grow their own vegetables.

A weekly pasar tani will also be held on Saturday at the park beginning Dec, he added - The Star.