Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries (Mafi) Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah (in black) holding a pineapple tart that was displayed at the Road to Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro-tourism Expo (Maha) 2022 Southern Region officiating ceremony at Plaza Angsana Johor Baru Mall.
JOHOR BARU: The price and supply of chicken in the country have stabilised with over two million chickens produced every day from July, says Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah.
The Deputy Agriculture and Food Industries Minister (Mafi) added that Malaysians, in general, consume about 1.8 million chickens every day with a self-sufficiency level (SSL) of 104%.
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“This means that we have a surplus of chicken every day starting July 1, so we have managed to stabilise the price of chicken, including eggs.
“We also recorded a surplus of chicken eggs in the market with a recorded SSL level of 115%,” he said.
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He was met after the launching ceremony of the Road to Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro-tourism Expo (Maha) 2022 southern region here on Saturday (July 23).
Ahmad added that Mafi has always maintained constant engagement with poultry industry players to understand their concerns.
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“We are listening to the needs of the people, but at the same time, we also need to engage with our industry players because currently, they are facing the issue of the rising cost of poultry feed,” he added.
Asked to comment on issues of overweight chicken in the market, Ahmad said the production capability could not meet the huge supply of chicken, so it has to be reduced.
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“This means that some chicken that may have matured after 34 days can only be processed after 40 days, meaning that the chicken has eaten more,” he added.
Ahmad also denied allegations that chicken farmers had hidden their stock to sell it at a higher price following the new ceiling price for standard chicken at RM9.40 per kg compared with RM8.90 per kg before.
On the programme, he said Mafi is planning to introduce more modern farming methods to attract young people to be part of the industry.
The event will run for three days from July 22, while the main event will be held from Aug 4-14 at the Malaysia Serdang Agricultural Expo Park (MAEPS) in Selangor.
