Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah West Coast Smart Consumers Association is unhappy that chicken eggs can no longer be purchased by some traders in the State Capital.
In a statement Thursday, its President David Chan said chicken egg shortage in the market has caused some consumers to buy the essential item at a high price.
He said some customers had to buy their chicken eggs from different stores or supermarkets because the sale of such necessities is limited to one buyer per household.
“We’ve heard reports that shops and minimarkets in this area are out of chicken eggs. Customers can now only buy one box of eggs at a time at stores or supermarkets. At home, eggs are a must-have. Since the beginning of this year, we’ve noticed that chicken eggs are becoming pricier. It is not only expensive, but there are periods when supplies are always in short supply.
“For instance, Grade B chicken eggs used to cost RM10, but now they can cost as much as RM14. This hike will undoubtedly have an impact on customers,” David said.
According to him, the Government has established a ceiling price of RM8.90 per kilogramme, which would take effect on Feb 5.
Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, previously stated that the Government has approved 32 firms to import frozen round chicken from three countries in order to alleviate the scarcity of supply and rising poultry costs that the people are experiencing.
The import of chicken from Thailand, China and Brazil, however, would be halted once the country’s chicken supply recovers, according to Ronald.
Meanwhile, David applauded the Cabinet’s decision to provide poultry producers a 60 sen per kilogramme subsidy.
David said the decision was based on the price of live chicken at the farm level, which is RM5.90 per kilogramme, and the retail price of standard round chicken, which is RM8.90 per kilogramme.
Kiandee also revealed that the Cabinet has agreed to grant a five sen subsidy for eggs in all categories.
“The goal of the subsidy is to relieve farmers’ financial burdens as a result of rising expenses, particularly food expenditures, which account for 70 per cent of total production costs, excluding logistics, labour, utility and medication costs.
“The subsidy is from Feb 5 until June 4, which coincides with the Malaysian Maximum Family Price Scheme implementation period,” he said.
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