Supplier: Chickens too light to be sold

PUTRAJAYA: The move by a poultry producer to stop supplying chickens over the weekend will not affect supply as it is a temporary measure to deal with the birds’ weight issue, or the lack of it, says the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry.

Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the poultry producer had written a letter to the ministry to explain the move.

“The company said this was not to undermine the industry. They do not have bad intentions in doing this.

“The decision will not affect supply as it is only for two days,” he said after launching a special logo to identify subsidised and controlled goods yesterday.

Nanta said the poultry producer explained it could not supply chickens to the market because the birds were small and weighed only 1.1kg.

“Usually, the chicken will be sold when it reaches 1.8kg in weight after a certain number of days.

“Because of the weight, the company does not want to supply the chicken, fearing complaints by consumers. They also want to protect their good name in the market,” he added.

Asked if the chickens were experiencing a slow growth, the producer informed the ministry that the quality of chicken feed could have affected their growth.

According to a news report, a cartel is allegedly planning to close poultry farms this weekend as a sign of protest to the government for its alleged late payment of 60 sen per chicken subsidy.

On complaints that certain poultry retailers were imposing additional charges should customers require their chickens cut, Nanta said the matter would be looked into.

He said the charges were not part of controlled price management but urged sellers to be reasonable.