If you’re looking to buy some white rice to prepare meals for the upcoming Raya celebrations, there’s something you’ll need to show aside from cash.
This is because several shops in Kuala Lumpur (KL) are now making it mandatory for customers to show their Malaysian identification card (IC) before they’re allowed to make a purchase.
Must show IC before buying local white rice
According to a report by NST, this has already been implemented by several grocery stores and supermarkets as a way to ensure only locals get their hands on local white rice, which is subsidised.
Aside from that, some have even placed purchase limits to prevent overbuying.
A trader named Sharon Pooi told NST that her store only allows Malaysians to buy local white rice.
We check each buyer’s MyKad to prevent this rice from falling into the hands of foreigners. In my store, each family can only buy two bags of local white rice.
“Although some have complained about the requirement, I will continue doing this to ensure the subsidy reaches its intended recipients,” she said.
Another trader simply known as Yaw said his store displays a notice informing customers that they can only buy two bags of rice per family and to show their IC before the purchase.
He added this was to make sure subsidised local white rice is sold to only locals and to prevent misunderstandings.
Back in February, the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry announced that a total of 24 million packs of subsidised local white rice will be available to the public starting March 1, priced at RM26 per 10kg.
This move is expected to benefit 400,000 heads of poor households, including 77,000 eligible for the rice subsidy.
Do you agree with the stores requiring customers to show their IC beforehand? Share with us in the comments!
READ ALSO:
