Short and long-term measures in place to address chicken and egg shortage, says Dr Wee

Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has asked Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu about the steps being taken to alleviate the shortage of chicken and eggs supply in Malaysia, in a Facebook post on Saturday (Dec 23).

Dr. Wee also attached Mohamad’s response to the post, which outlined the actions that the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry is implementing to ensure a stable supply of chicken and eggs in the market and easy accessibility for the public.

Mohamad mentioned that the government is providing subsidies to poultry farmers and egg producing hen breeders as short-term measures to help alleviate rising production costs. He noted that subsidies for poultry farmers were discontinued since November 1, 2023, while those for egg producers will continue until further notice.

Other short-term measures include the abolishing of the Approved Permit (AP) for whole chicken and chicken parts, allowing the import of Day Old Chick (DOC) or fertile eggs from New Zealand and Australia, and permitting the importation of chicken eggs from Thailand.

In addition, the government will continue with the Jualan Agro Madani program and sales at the premises of the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama), Farmers’ Organisation Authority (LPP), and the Malaysia Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM).

As for medium-term intervention measures, the government is establishing collaborations with private companies, government-linked companies (GLCs), and cooperatives to invest in the development of the grain corn industry, a primary raw material source for the poultry farming industry. Mohamad also mentioned the creation of contract farms with grain corn entrepreneurs and processing companies to enhance the cultivation and processing of the grain corn.

As for long-term measures, the government plans to provide financial assistance towards more efficient and environmentally friendly farming practices and reduce the dependence on imported corn by 30% through domestic cultivation initiatives, by the year 2032. Research is also being conducted to produce alternative raw materials based on local palm kernel as a substitute source.

Mohamad also stated that the country has imported chicken from 20 different countries from 2022 until August 2023, with the largest imports coming from Thailand, China, and Brazil. For eggs, the country only imported from India between November 2022 and January 2023.

Dr. Wee expressed hope that these measures will resolve any issues with the shortage of essential food supplies for Malaysians. He also emphasized the importance of supporting the local industry, especially chicken and egg farmers in the country.