SEPANG, Oct 27 ― Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government may look into Padiberas Nasional Bhd's (Bernas) alleged stranglehold on Malaysian rice imports.

Following allegations of it monopolising the market, Anwar said there may be a need to negotiate any previous deals with the state trading enterprise.

"I'm not sure about that. Any agreements or deals with Bernas were signed several years ago like two years ago so we need to negotiate.

"For now, we must make sure prices of rice imports are controlled so prices do not rise,” he said when met by reporters here.

Yesterday, the managing director of local hypermarket chain Mydin, Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin, reportedly said that Bernas was raising the price for a kilogramme of rice by RM6.

He accused Bernas of monopolising the market and causing the public distress during these economically challenging times, and urged the government to dismantle Bernas' monopoly and lower rice costs.