KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — The national physical rice stock as of February 27 is 881,554 metric tonnes, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu has said.

In a parliamentary written reply, he said the amount including the rice buffer stock is sufficient for 4.41 months of national consumption.

"The breakdown is as follows — factory, wholesale and retail rice stock is 591,554 metric tonnes; imported rice is 32,627; paddy and local rice is 107,540 metric tonnes; and buffer stock is 290,000 metric tonnes,” Mohamad said.

He was responding to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (Bersatu) Gerik MP Fathul Huzir Ayob who asked the government to state its contingency plan in ensuring there is sufficient rice supply should any shortage occur.

Mohamad had, in October last year, said there is sufficient rice supply to cover the country’s domestic needs for the next four to five months.

The sudden increase in the price of imported white rice in the global market occurred because India, which contributed more than 40 per cent of the world’s rice exports last year, imposed an export ban from July 2023.

Mohamad reportedly said as of October, 19 countries have restricted exports abroad to prioritise the needs of their own citizens.