KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 — Malaysia has no current plans to purchase rice from Indonesia, the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry told Reuters today, saying there have been no deals or negotiations on the matter.
The ministry was responding to reports that Indonesia’s state logistics company Bulog was in talks to export 200,000 metric tonnes of rice to Malaysia and was currently negotiating the price.
The ministry clarified that it had held meetings with an Indonesian delegation comprising representatives from the Indonesian embassy and Bulog to exchange views on the potential for rice trade cooperation between the two countries.
However, it said the national rice distributor Bernas has not entered into any commitment, decision, or purchase negotiations to import rice from Indonesia.
“During the meeting, Bulog expressed its intention to explore opportunities to export rice to Malaysia. Bernas explained that the country’s rice import policy is open but subject to commercial considerations and current needs, including factors such as price, quality, product specifications, supply position, and domestic market demand,” the ministry said.
It added that the meeting should not be interpreted as a purchase negotiation or an agreement to import rice from Indonesia.
“Currently there are no further discussions that have been held between Bernas and Bulog regarding the proposed rice import, and Bernas also confirms that there are currently no plans to purchase rice from Indonesia,” it said.
