Price of chickens should not have gone up

The price of the chicken and eggs in the local market are expected to increase after the Malaysian Family Maximum Price Scheme (SHMKM) ends on Feb 4.

Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP), Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi recently said, the measures need to be taken to balance out the ‘win-win’ situation between the consumers and the farmers in the country.

As of now the maximum retail price of a whole chicken is RM9.10 per kilogram.

Chicken as the main protein source of the Malaysians was seen to be on a drastic rise last year in which went from RM7/kg in July to more than RM10/kg before SHMKM was implemented.

SHMKM involved 12 products, especially eggs, chickens, and vegetables that were introduced from Dec 7 to Dec 31 last year and it will be extended until Feb 4 2022 which is after the Chinese New year celebrations.

Throughout the SHMKM period, the government allowed certain companies to import frozen whole chicken up to 10,000 tons or 5.5 million chickens a month.

The average of the chicken needs in Malaysia was two million a day or 62.9 million a month as revealed by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries (MAFI), Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee, last December.

However, the chicken prices are said to be unable to go down as the imported chicken prices are expensive due to the high delivery cost as well as the low Ringgit currency.

At the same time, many of the local farmers, wholesalers and retailers voiced out their incapability to incur the losses due to the increase in production and operational costs.

Although the government ought to provide a win-win situation, most of the rakyat opined that the chicken price should not have gone up especially when we are approaching Ramadan in less than three months.

Moreover, some of the rakyat also opined that the role of the ministers is to provide the best solution to the problem of the rakyat, not asking the rakyat to be prepared on the rising price of the products.

Therefore, the government and the industry party should come up with long-term solutions to stabilize the chicken price in the local market.