Eggs-cellent: Lee (second right) and Johor Health and Unity Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon (right) visiting Teo Seng Capital.
YONG PENG: The supply of chicken and eggs in the state is expected to recover within the next two weeks.
Johor Investment, Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Lee Ting Han said the supply of goods remained sufficient despite reports of low availability in rural areas due to high demand during the festive season.
“We expect the demand for chicken and eggs to decline within the next two weeks (with the end of the festivities) and for supply to return to normal.
“This is also supported by the Federal Government’s intervention in providing a subsidy of 60 sen per kilogramme (of chicken) and five sen per egg given to breeders since Feb 5, besides the chicken export ban that started on Wednesday,” he told reporters after a visit to Teo Seng Capital egg farm here yesterday.
Lee said that the export of chicken would be suspended until the price and supply stabilise.
“Johor is one of the highest suppliers of chicken in the country. In Yong Peng alone, we have more than 100 chicken farms,” he said.
Lee also said that the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry had been conducting daily checks to ensure the supply of chicken in Johor remained sufficient.
“As of now, we have received 42 complaints on the increase in prices and supply of chicken. These have been investigated under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act.”
Lee said inspections would be beefed up with enforcement personnel deployed at locations such as wet markets, farmers’ markets and supermarkets.
He added that Teo Seng Capital egg farm is one of the largest chicken egg suppliers in the country, producing four million eggs per day with one million eggs as buffer stock.
“There is enough supply of eggs in the country so there is no need for any panic buying,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) said Malaysia’s decision to halt the monthly exports of 3.6 million chickens was a “short-term solution” in addressing chicken shortages.
“It will lead to unintended negative consequences to consumers and the larger economy such as higher prices for imported chicken and the loss of significant markets in the long-term,” said its CEO Tricia Yeoh.
“Amid periods of uncertainty, countries like Malaysia are leaning towards self-sufficiency food policies such as food export bans in order to prioritise their own needs over the spirit of regional cooperation.
“IDEAS believes that such policies are inward-looking and often lead to disruptions in the domestic and global markets.”
Yeoh said the export ban could damage the industry as a whole, particularly for breeders.
“Malaysia’s export of live birds has increased from 40.19 million birds in 2007 to 59.08 million in 2020. With the government imposing a RM8.90 ceiling price on chicken to keep poultry prices low, local suppliers rely on exports to countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong and Brunei in order to cover the cost and keep their operations afloat.”
The export ban, Yeoh said, would lead to breeders facing significant losses due to the low-profit margins from depending solely on local sales which are insufficient to cover the high production costs.
“This may lead to many suppliers ceasing operations and ultimately damaging the poultry industry as a whole,” Yeoh said in a statement.
For the short term, IDEAS suggested that Malaysia could tap into existing and potential bilateral and multilateral partners for further cooperation to ensure food security.
