Control Of Padi And Rice Act (Amendment) Bill 2026 Tabled For First Reading
KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 (Bernama) -- The Control of Padi and Rice Act (Amendment) Bill 2026, which seeks to expand powers to set padi and rice prices and increase penalties against parties who violate provisions under the act, was tabled for its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the tabling of the bill for its second and third readings would also take place during the current Dewan Rakyat sitting.
According to the bill’s text published on the official Parliament portal, the proposed amendments involve five main clauses covering several provisions under Act 522.
Clause 3 of the bill seeks to amend Section 22 by increasing the penalties for offences under the act or any regulations made under Act 522 for which no penalty is expressly provided.
For individuals, including directors or officers of a body corporate, Subclause 3(a) proposes amendments to subsection 22(1) of Act 522 to raise the maximum fine from RM15,000 to RM250,000, and from RM25,000 to RM500,000 for a second or subsequent offence.
For a body corporate, Subclause 3(b) seeks to amend subsection 22(2) of the Act to increase the maximum fine from RM25,000 to RM500,000, and from RM50,000 to RM1 million for a second or subsequent offence.
Meanwhile, Clause 2 proposes amendments to paragraph 4(2)(c) of Act 522 to empower the director general, subject to the prior approval of the Minister, to enforce a maximum or minimum price for padi or rice.
“It is consequential to the amendment made to section 29 of Act 522 which now empowers the Minister to prescribe the grades of rice and the price control for the graded rice,” according to the bill.
Clause 4 seeks to amend Section 29 to empower the Minister to make regulations for matter relating to the licensing of padi purchasers, prescribing the grades of rice and the price control for the graded rice, as well as the prohibition, regulation or control of the movement of padi or rice.
“This clause also seeks to provide that any regulations made under Act 522 may prescribe an act or omission in contravention of the regulations to be an offence and may prescribe penalties of a fine not exceeding RM15,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both,” said the bill.
Clause 5 provides for matters relating to exceptions, namely that any investigation or proceedings initiated or pending before the date of commencement of the Act shall continue as if the principal Act had not been amended.
--BERNAMA