How much cheaper do you want rice to be, questions Bernas

TERMINATING Padiberas Nasional Bhd’s (Bernas) monopoly of rice imports will not bring down the price of rice, which is already low, said the federal agency’s chief executive officer, Ismail Mohamed Yusof.

“The price of rice is already cheap. A total of 60% of rice is local rice, so when you speak of cheaper prices, that means lower income for farmers,” Ismail said today.