KOTA KINABALU – The price of imported chicken feed has increased by 30% to 40% compared with the same period last year, forcing farmers to pass on some of these expenses to end consumers.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan said the skyrocketing price of imported chicken feed is due to the market’s higher pricing of raw materials such as corn and soy.
“As a consequence, breeders are forced to cull their herd earlier than usual, resulting in a chain reaction that includes a drop in chicken egg production.
“However, the problem of soaring chicken and eggs prices is not just a problem here in Sabah. The higher price of raw materials for animal feed is a worldwide issue, not a local issue,” he said in a statement today.
Jeffrey who is also the agriculture and fisheries minister said apart from the rise in raw materials prices, chicken breeders in Sabah also suffer a plethora of additional issues causing them to restrict production.
Recently, he said Veterinary Services Department director Dr Normah Yusop has confirmed that the standard vaccine to prevent the virulent Newcastle Disease (sampar ayam) could not manage the virus’ new strain.
As a result, the virus has killed a large number of birds and has had a direct impact on egg and meat production in Sabah.
The virus also caused dwarfism and reduced egg output in chickens that survived the infection.
“To make matters worse, border closures have made it harder to hire foreign labourers. Therefore, breeders have been forced to reduce the number of their stocks in proportion to the labourers available,” he said.
Despite the reduced supply, chicken and eggs continue to be in high demand because they are the easiest and cheapest source of protein.
“All food baskets usually always include a tray of eggs for each household, as we all recall. So, that exacerbated the shortage of eggs in Sabah,” he said.
While most of these concerns are outside of his ministry’s purview, Jeffrey assured that the Sabah government is working with the federal government to remedy the supply shortage problem as soon as possible.
The Vibes in October last year had highlighted the issues linked to the shortage and higher cost of chicken feed due to the state’s heavy reliance on imports. – The Vibes, February 9, 2022
