![]() According to its CEO Ismail Mohamed Yusof, the current system should be maintained as it has never failed consumers, and liberalizing the market will not make rice any cheaper than it already is. This move, however, did not go well with Bernas. He had stated that Bernas gains an annual gross profit of RM104 million from the import of rice in Sarawak alone, so abolishing the monopoly may enable the price of rice to go down by 20-30% nationwide. Wah… is rice that expensive, and is it because of Bernas’s monopoly? Well, according to Chong Chieng Jen, a Sarawak state chairman, the prices of imported fragrant and white rice are influenced by the profit gained by Bernas. Bernas will still exist, but we want to open the monopoly to individuals in line with the Pakatan Harapan Manifesto,” – Salahuddin Ayub, translated from Sinar Harian. When we break this monopoly, there will be competition. “I’m certain the termination of this monopoly can lower or control the price of rice as it’s related to supply and demand. Besides lowering the price of rice, Salahuddin Ayub, the Minister of Agriculture, also believes that it will indirectly ensure food security for the people. In June, the Cabinet had announced their intention to end the monopoly on rice imports by Syarikat Padiberas Nasional Berhad, or Bernas for short. One of them was that six main tendering agents controlled 90.93% of all medicine tender awards between 20, with the top three awarded 75.9%.īecause lower rice price is pricelessly nice. However, later that week a document was leaked, alleging several things about the medicine industry. The Health Ministry had refuted such claims, saying that there are also other vendors supplying directly to health facilities under the Ministry. With 100% market share of the government concession, more than RM1 billion goes to Pharmaniaga annually,” – Azrul Mohd Khalib, to FMT. “Pharmaniaga is the sole concession holder to purchase, store, supply and distribute both branded and generic approved drugs and medical products to 148 government hospitals and 2,871 clinics and district health offices nationwide. ![]() Azrul Mohd Khalib, Galen’s CEO, had claimed that the lack of competition stunted the development of the public healthcare system and limited patients’ access to life-saving drugs. Img from New Straits Times.Ī few months back the Galen Center for Health and Social Policy raised the issue of Pharmaniaga Bhd, a Government-Linked Company that was said to essentially act as a middleman between the government and international drug companies. “These companies don’t even have to pay import duties for the sugar while other countries in the region would not even allow imports of sugar or impose import duties,” – the late Sheikh Awab, as reported by the Malaysian Reserve. They had since asked the government to do something to protect them, as they see it as an unfair policy. ![]() MSM’s previous CEO Datuk Sheikh Awab had lamented the government’s move, saying that it’s hurting local refiners like them when a huge segment of the local market buys cheaper sugar. However, in recent times their business had hit a few bumps, particularly when the government allowed more people to directly import refined sugar back in 2014, instead of buying it from them. ![]() The two biggest sugar refinery companies in Malaysia that are allowed to import raw sugar are MSM Malaysia Holdings Bhd (MSM) and Central Sugars Refinery Sdn Bhd (CSR), with MSM controlling about 60% of our sugar market in 2014. As much as 99% of our raw sugar is imported, according to a 2010 news report, and this raw sugar will be processed into the normal sugar we know and love in sugar refineries. Malaysians have been consuming more and more sugar over the years, and to keep up with that demand we depend heavily on imported raw sugar. ![]() Think of the kind that gives you diabetes instead of heart attacks. No, we’re not talking about that kind of sugar. Despite being called the Sugar King, Kuok’s wealth came from refining sugar, not planting them. ![]()
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