Kuala Lumpur: A study conducted by the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) on the nation's rice and padi industry has revealed no infringements of existing competition laws, as announced in the Dewan Rakyat today.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali stated that despite the findings, the general study would not be presented in Parliament. He assured that if members of the Dewan Rakyat required a special briefing on the report during the current parliamentary session, arrangements for a dedicated briefing would be made. This remark came as he concluded the debate on the motion of thanks for the royal address on behalf of his ministry.
Earlier in the session, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu informed that the study's results were presented to the Cabinet Committee on National Food Security Policy (JKKMN) on December 17, 2024. He added that any public disclosure of the findings would be under the jurisdiction of MyCC.
Meanwhile, Armizan highlighted that the ministry has implemented and continues to refine seven enhancements to the Cooking Oil Stabilisation Scheme (COSS). Among these improvements is the obligatory use of the Cooking Oil Stabilisation Scheme System (ECOSS) across the subsidised packet cooking oil supply chain, which includes refineries, packaging companies, wholesalers, and retailers to track every distribution and sales transaction.
The ministry is also conducting inspections and audits of all packaging companies to ensure adherence to regulations. Armizan noted that after audits carried out in 2024, the quotas for 16 packaging companies were suspended, and 30 companies had their quotas entirely revoked for violating COSS quota holder conditions.
Additionally, the ministry has initiated a zoning mechanism to organise distribution areas based on state and district requirements, with a pilot programme already implemented in Sabah and Sarawak. The zoning mechanism is set to begin in Peninsular Malaysia this year.