KUALA LUMPUR, 18 August – Malaysia will consider approving the export of chicken again if the domestic supply is not affected, said Minister Annuar Musa, the chairman of Malaysia’s special task force against inflation.
This tight control is to make sure that the price of chicken in the local market can be controlled, he said, adding that the issue of subsidies to chicken farmers must be fine-tuned.
“Apart from the issue of export, we also have to deal with the issue of how long the subsidy is to be maintained. If we suddenly allow export and end subsidies, the price of chicken will soar again.
“We have to make sure that domestic supply is not affected at the expense of pursuing a higher profit margin, especially in Singapore which is willing to buy at a higher price,” he said.
The subsidies are granted to chicken farmers to enable them to sell standard chicken at the retail ceiling price of RM9.40 per kg in Peninsular Malaysia.
Annuar’s comments came after he was asked by reporters to comment on a statement by domestic trade and consumer affairs deputy minister Rosol Wahid, who said the cabinet will finalise the decision on chicken exports on Wednesday.
The chairman of Malaysia’s special task force against inflation, who is also the Minister of Communications and Multimedia said government ministers discussed the permission to export chicken with recommendations submitted by the Department of Veterinary Services.
“As of today, the Cabinet has not made any decision (permission to export chicken). The relevant ministries and departments will follow up on data preparation and so on,” he said.
Annuar said that at the moment, the domestic need for chickens in the country is about 70 million per month or about 2.2 million chickens a day.
The current supply exceeds the requirement at a level of about 3.5 million chickens, but the Malaysian government will only allow export again if it does not affect domestic needs in the local market.
Source: Bernama/CNA
