SEBERANG JAYA: The Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry (Mafi) will monitor the production of chickens at the farm level to ensure no disruption of supplies that may cause a drastic hike in price.
Its Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah said Mafi would not hesitate to take stern action against anyone who indiscriminately raised the price of chicken.
"The government knows that it cannot always subsidise the breeders. So, instead of subsidising them, we will provide direct aid to consumers.
"At Mafi, we will monitor the situation, including production at farms, and take action if the price of chicken is hiked indiscriminately.
"We have also met and discussed with breeders to find a win-win situation in this issue," he said.
He was officiating in the launch of the Penang FAMA Fest 2022 here today. On June 1, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that beginning July 1, the government would no longer provide subsidies to chicken breeders, but would channel the aid directly to people in need.
Elaborating, Ahmad said the government, through MAFI, had taken various measures to ensure an ample supply of chicken. He said since the second week of this month, the supply had stabilised and would continue to remain so.
"Based on the self-sufficiency level (SSL) for chicken, our supply surpassed demand by between 104 and 105 per cent. We are able to produce 60 million metric tonnes of chicken annually when our demand is only 54 million tonnes.
"By right, we should have an oversupply of chicken. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, we have experienced a shortage prior to this.
"Numerous measures have also been taken by the government, including ensuring a sufficient stockpile of chicken," he added.
Ahmad said to ensure ample supply of chicken in any circumstance, the prime minister had directed the ministry to carry out several initiatives through the Farmers' Organisation Board.
"We have also allocated a sum of RM62.5 million to the National Farmers' Organisation (Nafas) to stockpile chicken and this has already began.
"We are expecting the arrival of some 200 containers of chicken in stages depending on the situation," he said.