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KUALA LUMPUR: Rice smuggling activities remain rampant in border areas despite regular law enforcement operations mobilized by the rice and padi regulatory division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries.
Foreign unions are known to smuggle rice, bought cheaply in countries like Thailand and Vietnam, through illegal routes or lorong tikus on the border with Malaysia, where it is sold at the standard price of about RM2.60 per kilogram or even at higher prices.
According to the chief coordinator of the rice industry coalition, Padi Rescue, Nurfitri Amir Muhammad, the tactic used by the smugglers has helped them make huge profits.
It was recently reported that smuggled rice from Thailand is selling for RM 48 for a 10 kg package, which is RM 16 more than the usual price.
Nurfitri Amir said he has received information from his sources that the unions have become bold enough to use Approved Permits (AP) to smuggle rice into Malaysia via container ships.
“My sources also claimed that just by using an AP, unions can bring excess merchandise and that this is happening in our ports and borders,” he told Bernama.
It was also asked how the unions eliminate smuggled rice “dumped” on the Malaysian market, considering that rice stocks are generally sold to wholesalers and retailers, such as supermarket chains and various stores.
LONG TERM PROBLEM
The issue of rice smuggling is not new and has received extensive media coverage over the years. The authorities have targeted smugglers whose modus operandi was exposed in the media, but despite control activities, smuggled rice is still openly sold on the market.
On September 24, Azman Mahmood, CEO of Padi and Rice Control at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries, was quoted as saying that his officers recently managed to seize 227 bags of imported rice valued at RM34,000 from a store in Pandan Mewah here .
He said the rice was smuggled into the country by a union.
“It was claimed that the smuggled rice was of better quality than the imported rice by Bernas (Padiberas Nasional Bhd) and they (the union) sold the rice to retailers at RM5 per kg. It is just a tactic they use to market their rice … in fact, the rice imported by Bernas is of higher quality, ”Azman said, adding that action can be taken against rice smugglers under Section 8 (a) of the Padi control. and Rice (Wholesale and Retail Licensing) Regulations 1996.
INCOME OF THREATENED PADI FARMERS
Dr Mohd Fauzi Mohd Jani, a member of the National Council of Teachers, opined that as long as the rice smuggling syndicates operate, they will continue to disrupt the ecosystem and the incomes of Malaysian padi farmers.
While he described the government’s intention to raise Malaysia’s level of rice self-sufficiency to 75 percent as proactive, he said that the nation’s dependence on rice imports (25 percent of the rice consumed in Malaysia is imported), as well as rampant rice smuggling activities. they continue to affect the income of padi farmers.
He said the rice smuggling networks were resorting to cunning tactics by which they sold their rice to diverse small shops and night market traders at prices lower than those of locally produced rice.
“These unions have been operating in this country for a long time, so they know the ins and outs of the rice business and know how to dispose of their stocks. Of course, what they are doing is illegal since they do not pay import taxes, “he added.
Mohd Fauzi suggested that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries establish a steering committee, made up of industry players such as the Farmers Organization Authority and padi farmers’ associations, to tackle the problem of rice smuggling and increase production. of rice in the country.
“The proposed steering committee may also coordinate their needs (of padi farmers) for which RM 1.7 billion has been allocated in the 2021 budget, including the padi price subsidy of RM 570 million, the planting incentive of padi and the 960 million ringgit subsidy and the hill padi fertilizer subsidy of RM40 million, ”he said.
He also said that Bernas, which has a monopoly on the supply of rice in Malaysia, and its network of companies should increase the number of granaries to store rice stocks to ensure an adequate supply for up to three to six months. This is important now in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, he added.
Mohd Fauzi also proposed that the government develop a digital monitoring center with the help of local experts so that the authorities can analyze the rice and padi market and take the necessary follow-up actions to contain the effects of any disaster that may represent a threat to food security.
Meanwhile, crime analyst Datuk Akhbar Satar said that the seemingly never-ending problem of rice smuggling into the country’s border areas is due to the existence of border police personnel who lack integrity and allow the activity to take place. illegal.
“Here we are only talking about rice and subsidized products that are smuggled in and out of the country. There is also the issue of trafficking in people, drugs and weapons … for me all these are huge problems also for which we must find a solution because they are a danger to the nation, “he said, adding that only the security personnel of High integrity should be wagered in high-risk areas, including border areas.
“Agents must be transferred after they have served three years to avoid being influenced by unhealthy practices such as taking bribes.”
He said the Interior Ministry and the National Security Council should also consider ways to improve border monitoring and surveillance.
“We now have drone technology, as well as closed circuit television cameras, that can help law enforcement agencies do their jobs more effectively,” he added.Called
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