PETALING JAYA – Restaurant owners are looking at raising the price of their rice dishes as the cost of imported rice goes up by 36 per cent, driven by factors including climate change and conflicts.

“We will be left with no choice but to pass the extra cost to our customers. We can expect to see the price of a plate of rice to go up by about 20 sen (S$0.06),” said Mr Wong Choy Sim, owner of a popular Chinese restaurant in Tapah, Perak.

He said that since eatery operators would want to sustain their business, this means diners would have to face price increases.

Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) said on Friday that the price of white rice had been increased with immediate effect to RM3,200 from RM2,350 per metric tonne due to unpredictable factors such as climate change, the weakening of the foreign currency exchange rate, high operating costs and conflicts in the region.

The price hike will cost consumers 85 sen more for a kilogramme of imported white rice.

Owner of Nasi Kandar Arsyad restaurant Mohd Arsyad Azarin estimated that the price of a meal might go up by between 50 sen and 80 sen at least, with the rise of not just imported rice but all other ingredients.

“It is not just the price of rice that is rising but everything else such as chicken, red meat, vegetables and ingredients required for making curries. We are currently absorbing the costs, but how long can we sustain this?” he said.

Mr Habib Shahul Hameed, who owns a nasi kandar restaurant in Kelana Jaya, said he would absorb the price increase for now to avoid putting off his customers.

But he was of the view that the situation could get serious.

“The prices of all other food items are already rising. And now, with the price of rice going up, it will make things worse for both restaurant owners and their customers,” he said.

He added that the government should offer more subsidies or increase the production of rice.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) president Datuk N. Marimuthu proposed that the government have programmes to cultivate padi for Malaysia to be self-sufficient in its rice supply instead of relying on imports.

The country should cease to depend on other countries for the supply of rice, he added.

Instead, he said the country should take advantage of its fertile land to grow padi.