Popular choice: Muhammad Suffian feeding the turkeys at his farm in Kampung Genting, Balik Pulau. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Local turkey breeders say that they cannot fulfil demand for turkey meat during this time of the year as they are only doing small-scale farming.Muhammad Suffian Hashim, 33, said the demand for turkey meat for Christmas has outweighed supply in the country.
“We are too dependent on imports from countries such as Europe, the United States and Thailand.
“When these countries face (supply) problems, it will cause a shortage downstream.
“Local breeders are doing small-scale farming and it is not enough to cater to the demand, especially during peak festive seasons,” he said when met at his farm in Kampung Genting near here.
The factory worker turned full-time breeder said he only has about 200 turkeys at his 0.8ha farm, and this is not enough for the upcoming Christmas celebration.
“The demand for turkey meat is high because they have lots of protein compared to chicken,” he said, adding that people now prefer turkey even for Hari Raya and weddings.
Muhammad Suffian plans to set up another farm on the Penang mainland in the future which could cater for at least 1,500 turkeys.
Another local breeder Mohd Syauqi Zainondin, 32, said the shortage issue won’t be solved until more Malaysians join the turkey breeding business.
“This issue has been prevailing for many years. A short-term solution is to get turkey livestock from other breeders during festive seasons.
“However, this won’t solve the long-term issue which persists every year,” he said.
Mohd Shauqi rears about 200 birds at his farm in Guar Chempedak in Gurun, Kedah.
He urged the authorities to train more local breeders by engaging youths to join the industry.
