PUTRAJAYA: The government’s move to set a ceiling price for chicken and eggs is to enable the people to purchase essential food items below the actual price, reducing the impact of the rising cost of living, says Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (pic).
He said Malaysia was not spared increases in living costs because of inflation and the rise in input prices, but the government was committed to ensuring that the people were not burdened.
He added that chicken was directly subsidised by the government after it took various aspects into account, including the interests of the poultry industry.
"The government wants to ensure that it can minimise the impact of the increase in food costs on the people.
"That is why we are taking various measures and actions, including subsidising the price of some types of food, so that the people can buy them at prices below the actual level,” he said after officiating the ministry’s Sports and Welfare Club annual general meeting here on Thursday (June 30).
On Wednesday (June 29), the Cabinet announced that the new ceiling price for standard chicken was fixed at RM9.40 per kg, while the retail ceiling price of grade A chicken eggs was set at 45 sen each, grade B eggs at 43 sen each and grade C eggs at 41 sen each in Peninsular Malaysia, effective Friday (July 1).
Kiandee said the difference between the selling price and actual price of the two food items was covered by the government through a subsidy of over RM360mil.
"That step was taken to reduce the impact of the rising cost of living on the people,” he said.
In his speech earlier, he said the Food Security Committee, which would be formed through the cooperation of the Federal and various state governments, would be a catalyst for more efficient and sustainable resource management.
"The empowerment of the agro-food sector will be implemented through increased productivity, strengthening of support systems and services as well as efficient and sustainable resource management,” he said.
On Tuesday (June 28), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said food security committees will be set up at state and district levels to ensure that Federal and state governments can implement the National Food Security Policy Action Plan 2021-2025 in a synergistic manner. – Bernama
