Prices, supply of chicken currently stable, Mat Sabu tells parliament

KUALA LUMPUR: The supply of chicken is currently stable, and this factor contributes to the stability of the current price of the main source of protein for Malaysians, the Dewan Rakyat was told Thursday (March 14).

Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said that the monitoring carried out by the Veterinary Services Department (DVS) showed that the average price of chicken at farms recorded throughout the peninsula, for four months since November 2023, was stable.

“The average price of chicken at farms recorded throughout the Peninsula since November 2023 is RM5.85 per kg, December 2023 (RM6.39/kg), January 2024 (RM6.13/kg) and February 2024 (RM6.03/kg),” he said during Ministers’ Question TIme in the Dewan Rakyat.

He was replying to a question posed by Sim Tze Tzin (PH-Bayan Baru), who wanted to know whether the price of chicken has risen sharply or faced a shortage of supply in the market, after the abolition of subsidies and price controls, and whether subsidies for grade A, B and C eggs will continue.

Mohamad said that currently, the government’s view of subsidies and price controls for grade A, B and C eggs will continue, using the existing mechanism, and any policy changes will take into account all factors, especially the current supply trend.

In his reply to a supplementary question from Sim, who wanted to know whether the government will use the Approved Permit (AP) mechanism again to control the supply of chicken so that there is no dumping, Mohamad said that the decision whether the government will restrict the import of chicken or otherwise depends on the market conditions from time to time.

“It is true that 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 starts to strengthen today,” he said. – BK