KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 — The government has yet to decide on introducing a single grade of white rice known as the Malaysia Madani white rice.

Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said any announcement or decision made must be in accordance with the Control of Padi and Rice Act 1994 (Act 522) and be communicated to the Cabinet.

"The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) agrees with the statement made by the Prime Minister yesterday that the proposal will be collectively discussed in the upcoming meeting of the National Action Council on Cost of Living (NACCOL) Implementation Monitoring Committee,” he said in a statement today.

The statement was issued to clarify the confusion following the announcement made by NACCOL’s Task Force (Food Cluster) chairman Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal on Feb 14.

The Bukit Gantang MP was reported as saying that there will no longer be categories of local white rice (SST) and imported white rice (SSI), making the Malaysia Madani white rice the sole category. — Bernama