KUALA LUMPUR: The supply of chicken is currently stable and this has added to its price stability, the government announced.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said, according to a four-month survey by the Veterinary Services Department (DVS), the cost of chicken at farms across the peninsula was stable on average.
He said the price recorded last November was RM5.85 per kg, December (RM6.39), January (RM6.13), and February (RM6.03kg).
Mohamad said this in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, Bernama reported.
Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin wanted to know whether the price of chicken had risen sharply or if there was a shortage of supply in the market after the abolition of subsidies and price controls, and whether subsidies for grades A, B and C eggs would continue.
Mohamad said subsidies and price controls for the eggs would continue using the existing mechanism, and any policy change will take into account all factors, especially the current supply trend.
To a supplementary question from Sim, who wanted to know whether the government will use the Approved Permit mechanism again to control the supply of chicken to prevent dumping, Mohamad said that the decision on whether the government will restrict the import of chicken or otherwise depends on market conditions.
“... The price of chicken is relatively stable, and the import price of corn and soy has also been relatively stable recently.
“We believe it will be more stable if the ringgit gradually strengthens, and our ringgit has started to strengthen,” he added.
Last October, Mohamad announced that the government had agreed that subsidies and price control for chicken would be completely discontinued in November.
He said chicken eggs graded A, B, and C will, however, continue using existing subsidy mechanisms.
The minister had said that since February 2022, the government had spent RM3.8bil on egg and chicken subsidies.
The rationale for ending subsidies in bulk for chicken is to reduce the leakage of subsidies, Mohamad said.
The minister added that the end of chicken price controls was also to support the sustainability of the local chicken production industry.
