KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will request an additional 500,000 metric tonnes of white rice from India, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said.

In a posting on his Facebook page yesterday, Mohamad said the federal government will send an official request through diplomatic channels to India soon.

Mohamad said he conveyed the matter when India's Foreign Minister Dr S. Jaishankar paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday.

"Malaysia appreciates the good bilateral ties that we have with India in the agricultural and food security sectors. And there are opportunities for both nations to boost our cooperation in these areas.

"During the meeting, I also took the opportunity to record our highest appreciation for the special export allocation of 170,000 tonnes of white rice to Malaysia by the government of India," Mohamad said.

Malaysia, said Mohamad, has also submitted an official request to India in January this year to obtain the special export allocation of 100,000 metric tonnes of onion through the government-to-government mechanism.

"I hope that the cooperation that we have with India, especially in the agricultural sector, could be expanded in the future.

"The trade value in the agricultural sector between Malaysia and India, from January until November last year, reached RM19.42 billion," he said.

The Indian government in October last year approved the export of 170,000 metric tonnes of non-Basmati white rice to Malaysia as a mark of special friendly gesture between the two countries.

Earlier last year, India, the world's biggest rice exporter, banned the export of non-Basmati white rice and imposed a 20 per cent tax on parboiled rice in a move seen as a measure to protect its domestic supply earlier this year.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/03/1031565/malaysia-seeks-additional-500000-metric-tonnes-white-rice-india