ISKANDAR PUTERI: The shortage of eggs in Johor was mainly caused by a sudden increase in demand rather than a drop in supply, says state investment, trade and consumer affairs committee chairman Lee Ting Han (pic).
He said poultry farmers in Johor continued to produce between 10 million and 12 million eggs of various grades every week.
"This includes eggs for the local market, for other parts of the country, as well as for exports.
"Based on our data, the supply in Johor remains the same but there was a sudden increase in demand that caused the shortage.
"This includes rising demand in industries such as bakeries, as well as public consumption in general," he told a press conference on the sidelines of the state assembly sitting here on Monday (Dec 5).
He added that the Johor Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry has also conducted a total of 6,655 operations to monitor the price and supply of eggs and chicken in Johor since February this year.
"Following the checks, we have identified 235 cases and have taken action against the businesses involved.
"Of that number, 215 cases involved retailers while 10 each involved farmers and wholesalers.
“In most cases, the businesses were found to be selling chicken or eggs higher than the maximum price," he said, adding that the cases were investigated under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.
He added that authorities had also received a complaint about dirty eggs being sold in the market.
"There have been several viral cases in social media on these dirty eggs and we have also received one official report.
"The matter is being investigated and we will also talk to the business involved," he said.
He noted that the state government will give its full cooperation to the Federal Government in addressing and tackling the issue.
"The Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) recently chaired the National Action Council on Cost-of-Living Special Meeting and in the next few weeks, the ministry will give its suggestions on ways to curb the issue.
"At the state government level, we will give our fullest cooperation to help solve the issue," he said.
