Sibu wholesalers want Bernas to resolve long queues at premises for white rice

SIBU (Jan 10): The Sibu Rice Wholesalers Association has called on Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) to resolve the problem of long queues at its Jalan Upper Lanang premises to collect white rice.

Chairman Datuk Wong Kie Sing said the problem should not exist as it is Bernas’ responsibility to provide enough white rice to meet consumer demand.

He explained that the problem lay with the contractor’s lack of manpower to provide the service.

“This is not acceptable. If the contractor cannot perform the task properly, they should be changed and the task given to some other more capable contractor,” he in a statement.

Wong pointed out with Chinese New Year fast approaching, there would be a higher demand for rice and all the relevant authorities should immediately work together to ensure there is stable supply to meet market demand.

“We do not want the contractor’s shortage of manpower problem to affect the rice market,” he said, adding the problem started after the contractor was changed last October.

“The problems were reported to the contractor and Bernas several times and they had promised to resolve the problem for quite a number of times for the last three months. But the problem has prolonged and remains unsolved.”

Wong said he was informed the contractor only had 10 workers and they were simply not enough to handle the rice deliveries as well as shipment intakes of approximately 200 tonnes per day.

According to him, in the past his company lorry could make one or two trips per day.

“There was hardly any queue,” he said.

Wong said currently lorries would return empty almost daily even after a tiring time queuing.

He added rice merchants from Mukah, Sarikei, and Kapit also collect white rice from Bernas at Upper Lanang Road.