[UPDATED] Govt yet to set date to lift ban on chicken exports: Nanta

KUCHING – The government has yet to set a date to lift the ban on chicken exports, said Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.

However, he said the matter had been previously discussed by the cabinet.

Nanta said any decision on the matter must take into account the interests of all parties.

“Any decision on the matter will be announced by the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry (Mafi) and the related ministries,” he told reporters after visiting several booths at the Sarawak edition of the Malaysian Family Aspirations Tour here today.

Meanwhile, he said there was a sufficient supply of chicken for domestic consumption.

“... we also found that some traders are selling chickens lower than the set (maximum) price,” he added.

On August 4, Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee said the ban on the export of commercial broilers that was still in effect was temporary, namely until the price and production of chickens fully stabilised.

He said the government was aware of the increase in the cost of chicken production following the rise in the cost of animal feed and the cessation of exports affecting the returns of breeders.

In this regard, he said the government agreed to give subsidies to broiler chicken and egg-laying chicken breeders amounting to RM1.1 billion in total to ease their burden. 

“The government is trying to deal with the manipulation of middlemen and cartels in the agriculture sector and the food supply chain which causes inflation and increase in the prices of goods,” he said.

Ismail Sabri said that yesterday, the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) issued a Proposed Decision against five feedmillers for infringing Section 4 of the Competition Act 2010 and this should serve as a warning against cartels that tried to manipulate prices and the market.

He also wanted Mafi to continue the “jihad against middlemen” through the supply chain control strategy in collaboration with the agencies under it such as establishing paddy buying and fruit collection centres as well as farmer’s and fisherman’s markets.

“I once declared ‘jihad against middlemen’ in 2014 when I headed Mafi because of the actions of middlemen who exploit farmers and fishermen by manipulating prices in the market,” he said.

In the 12th Malaysia Plan, the agro-food sector is expected to grow at a rate of 4.5% per year, thus making the sector a major contributor to the gross domestic product, he added.

Ismail Sabri said the government had established a Cabinet Committee on National Food Security Policy to formulate a holistic food security policy and under the committee, the National Food Security Policy Action Plan 2021-2025 had been developed by taking into account food security issues and challenges.

Several trade, producer and consumer-oriented measures and strategies have been introduced by the government, among others, to reduce dependence on food imports which reached RM60 billion last year, he said.

He said the measures were also to attract foreign investors in the country’s agro-food sector projects as well as encourage the aggressive involvement of government agencies, government-linked companies, government-linked investment companies and the private sector in the agenda to guarantee the country’s food security.

The government also ensures that the issue of national food security is always given attention through the Technical Committee to Address Issues of National Food Security and the Special Task Force on Jihad against Inflation, he said.

He added that Mafi, as the leader of the agro-food sector, needs to ensure that every plan and policy complement each other in order to boost the sustainability and resilience of the agro-food system.

Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said the government through Mafi would introduce the Agro-Food Takaful Insurance Scheme involving the entire agro-food sector as part of measures to strengthen the country’s food security system.

For a start, he said the paddy and rice sub-sector had been selected as a pilot project that would benefit a total of 189,500 paddy farmers before being expanded in stages to other sectors such as fisheries, crops and other sub-sectors of the food industry.

“This scheme aims to reduce the financial implications due to crop loss following natural disasters such as floods and droughts as well as disease outbreaks.

“It ensures that paddy farmers will get compensation in the event of disruptions to the country’s rice production due to natural disasters or disease outbreaks,” he said.

He added that Mafi through Agrobank had also allocated RM800 million to the agriculture community under the Keluarga Malaysia Agro-Food Financing Fund (DPAKM) to increase the country’s food production.

Following the encouraging response, Ismail Sabri said the government had agreed to add another RM200 million under DPAKM, bringing the total to RM1 billion, for the benefit of the entire agro-food farming community.

He said Agrobank would soon set up a special investment entity for the agriculture sector to increase domestic investment in the country’s agro-food sector.

On Maha 2022, Ismail Sabri said the “Food Security for the Future” theme coincides with the government’s desire to strengthen the country’s food security in facing various challenges.

He said Maha 2022 could also serve as the best platform to promote various new agriculture products developed using the latest technology for the benefit of the target groups. – Bernama, August 6, 2022