KUCHING: The price control on chicken and eggs is proof of the government’s concern for the rakyat, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said.
“The government is concerned about both the consumers and the chicken producers. That is why during the meeting of National Action Community on Cost of Living, chaired by the Prime Minister, it was decided that the government would allocate more than RM500 million under the Keluarga Malaysia Maximum Price Control Scheme (SHMKM) – a subsidy provided for the period between February 5 and June 5 – to control the prices of chicken and eggs in Malaysia.
“The long period of ceiling prices on the goods is to take care of both consumers and producers. The reason for the price hike is because most of the raw materials (used to feed the chicken) are imported.
“And now with the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, we are affected by the price hike of the feeds, hence, (automatically) the chicken and egg prices are also affected by it,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters at Majma Mall today, following his visit to Alpro Pharmacy Satok to inspect COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test Kits (RTK) and face masks there. He also visited Al-Aqsa Jewels to inspect the authenticity of the gold sold by the jewellery shop.
Following the announcement of the given allocation, Nanta disclosed that his ministry recently had a roundtable discussion with the Sarawak Veterinary Services Department, Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land And Regional Development (MANRED), and Livestock Breeders Association Sarawak to understand the price structures in Sarawak.
“There are a lot of things that we have discussed and my ministry will take note of the matters so that we can find a way to help both consumers and chicken breeders.
“We are aware of the importance of these chicken breeders and producers. Because if there are no breeders, there will be no chicken available for us,” he added.
