Egg prices cut across peninsula

PETALING JAYA: The retail price of chicken eggs has been reduced with immediate effect, with grades A, B and C costing 3sen cheaper.

The new prices in the peninsula are now 42sen, 40sen and 38sen per egg respectively, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced.

He said the price reduction was a result of the government being able to channel the savings from its targeted subsidy rationalisation plan back to the people.

Anwar said the subsidy for eggs at 10sen each would cost the government RM100mil, compared with the subsidy allocation of RM927mil in 2023.

He said this development was due to reduced production input cost for chicken eggs, mainly involving basic ingredients in chickenfeed.

“I want to emphasise that issues related to the people’s cost of living will continue to be dealt with by the government in a more proactive and effective manner.

“We will strive to mitigate any negative impact on the people’s lives,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Retail prices for eggs in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan will be adjusted according to the respective zones and districts, Anwar added.

On the recently introduced targeted diesel subsidy rationalisation plan, he said the government continued to bear the cost of around RM7bil in diesel-related subsidies in the peninsula.

He reiterated that the rationalisation was to ensure more efficient management of subsidies to prevent abuses and for it to reach the groups in need.

“Savings from the implementation of targeted subsidies will be returned to the people in the form of education, health, public transportation and other sectors that have the greatest impact on them,” he said.

He also said the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry’s Ops Tiris, launched on March 1 last year, had had positive results in the fight against abuses of subsidised diesel.

He said as of Dec 31 last year, some 6.44 million litres of diesel, valued at around RM14.2mil, were seized.

Anwar said the success led to Ops Tiris 3.0 with an expanded scope to cover other controlled goods such as refined white sugar (coarse and fine), polybag cooking oil (1kg), RON95 petrol, and liquefied petroleum gas.

“As of June 14, 2024, controlled goods worth RM12.96mil have been seized, with diesel accounting for the bulk of smuggled and misappropriated controlled items,” he added.