“If there is plastic rice it can be made here,” Karlene Henry, deputy CEO of operations at Jamaica Custom told journalist at a press conference on Monday.

The local authorities are holding their breaths that the alleged ‘fake’ rice assertion currently being examined in Jamaica does not hold true as agencies undertake test to determine their next move.

Jamaica Customs said that if the plastic rice is smuggled in, it will be difficult for the state agency to track. A temporary ban has been placed on the clearance of rice at all ports of entry following reports that plastic rice has been found in Manchester.

Jamaica Customs said that the Bureau of Standards and Food Storage and Prevention of Infestation Division are undertaking steps to test samples of rice across the island. The results should be made public in 72 hours.

Plastic rice made by mixing a small amount of  rice with the deadly plastic, then sprayed with a fragrance to recreate the original smell of the rice.

Concerns over fake rice arose after social videos emerged that showed workers at a factory transforming strips of plastic into rice-like granules.

Jamaica currently imports rice from eight countries – USA, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Vietnam, India, Thailand, Suriname and China.