PUTRAJAYA: There will be no shortage of beef or chicken during this Hari Raya Aidilfitri period and consumers have been advised to avoid unscrupulous traders who may use shortage of supply as an excuse to hike prices.
Veterinary Department director-general Datuk Dr Kamarudin Md Isa, today relayed the status of supply of chicken and beef nationwide, which had been planned for since the beginning of the year to avoid a shortage.
He said as of now, local farmers have in stock 53,633 cows ready to be slaughtered to supply beef during the festive period, on top of a steady supply of imports from India, Pakistan and Australia.
"We do not foresee a shortage of supply during this period and thus there should not be unnecessary increases in price which would burden the consumers," said Dr Kamarudin.
"We have been working closely with the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism to ensure that prices are kept under control through their enforcement.
We can assure the people that we have pre-planned for this to ensure there are no issues with supply."
The Veterinary Department, said Dr Kamarudin, has engaged local farmers throughout the year in carrying out plans to ensure consumers do not face beef and chicken supply issues during festive seasons.
The nationwide output of chicken for this month, which covers the Ramadan fasting period, is at 13.41 million whole chickens per week, which will be increased to 13.78 million a week in July to meet the demands of the festive period.
"This has all had to be pre-planned meticulously, taking into account the 40-day duration required between hatching and when a chicken is ready to be consumed," said Dr Kamarudin.
The standard price for chicken during this period is between RM8.14 and RM8.50 per kilogram, while super grade chicken will cost between RM9.12 and RM10 per kilogram.
Fresh local beef will cost RM30 per kilogram in June and July, while imported frozen buffalo meat will cost RM17 per kilogram.