Global Courant
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will lift a ban on chicken exports from July 1, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu said on Thursday.
He added that the government would also raise the price of eggs and chicken from July 1.
Lifting the chicken export ban would allow farmers to generate revenue from the export market and facilitate cash flow to the country, Mr Mohamad Sabu said.
He added that poultry farmers are allowed to export live chicken, cooked chicken and chicken parts, but not day-old chicks.
Mr Mohamad Sabu also said that the subsidies for poultry farmers would end after June 30.
He said the Ministry of Internal Trade and Cost of Living was responsible for determining whether, for example, price caps would apply during festive occasions.
“To ensure that the supply of chicken and eggs can be stabilized after the subsidy ends, the ministry will implement a soft landing mechanism,” he said in a written response to parliament.
Member of Parliament Mas Ermieyati Samsudin had asked whether the ministry had carried out detailed studies prior to the decision to abolish poultry subsidies.
Mr Mohamad Sabu added that the government would also allow imports of chickens from recognized source countries including Thailand, China, Brazil and Denmark.
“As for egg imports, the allowed source countries are Thailand and Ukraine,” said Mr. Mohamad Sabu.
The government, he said, will continue the Farmers’ Organization Authority’s clothed chicken storage program as well as the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority’s (Fama) Madani Agro Sales program to sell agricultural products to target groups at 5 to 10 percent below market price. lie.
“As of May 8, 2023, a total of 28,078,620 eggs have been distributed through 369 Fama outlets,” he said.
The previous cabinet tried to abolish poultry subsidies on 1 July last year.
However, the cabinet decided against it two days earlier and chose to raise the ceiling price instead.
Poultry farmers have been under sustained pressure over the past two years due to an increase in feed costs, mainly due to supply problems due to the Covid-19 pandemic and challenges due to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Last year, the government allocated a total of RM369.5 million (S$108 million) in poultry subsidies. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
