KUALA LUMPUR – Amidst excitement to celebrate the upcoming Hari Raya Aidiladha festivity on July 10, concerns have been raised over chicken supplies, a problem which has troubled citizens for the past month.
As such, Federation of Livestock Farmers’ Associations of Malaysia (FLFAM) advisor Datuk Jeffrey Ng Choon Ngee has given his assurance that the supply shortage crisis – which has affected the entire nation – is recovering well with government intervention.
He said that a meeting between farmers and the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry (Mafi) last Wednesday saw the subsidy application process for chicken prices being ironed out.
“Previously, there were 13 forms for one application, but now the process has been simplified and we only need three forms,” he told Getaran, The Vibes’ Malay-language sister portal.
Expressing his gratitude to authorities for facilitating the process, he said that applications can also now be done online, allowing farmers to focus on increasing poultry production and resolve the disaster of low supply of raw materials.
“More than 65% of farmers are over the age of 55 and did not receive higher education so the filling in of forms was troublesome,” he said.
“With the simplified process, they can concentrate their efforts on breeding tasks and once the subsidy money has been channelled in, chicken production productivity can be increased.”
Prior to this, Mafi had revealed that only RM50 million in subsidies have been paid out, despite a total subsidy of RM729.43 million having been allocated under the Keluarga Malaysia Price Control Scheme since February 5.
Additionally, all qualified poultry farmers are urged to submit their applications immediately so that the channelling of claims can be expedited.
Ng also called on the government to review the total supply of imported chicken, considering the involvement of the National Farmers Association and the Malaysian National Cooperative Movement in the local poultry industry.
Warning that there might be a dumping of supplies, which cannot be sold at reasonable prices if imports remain high while chicken production rises, he labelled importation as a short-term solution that should not be continued.
“For me, importing is not the best way to ensure our food security. We can bring in supplies for a while since we do not have enough stocks, but we should not continue doing so after our supplies have recovered,” he said.
Besides that, he expressed his hopes for the government to make an exemption for the condition requiring accommodation to be provided for migrant workers in the livestock industry.
Explaining that the application for migrant labour requires a certificate of occupancy, he said that farmers face difficulty in obtaining migrant workers, as poultry farms do not have such credentials.
“If this problem is not resolved, it will be tough for us to raise chickens even if we have subsidies because there is a shortage of workers,” he said, lamenting how local workforces are not interested in working on chicken farms.
“It is sufficient that the workers’ accommodation is clean and can reach the standard set by the government.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Selangor Poultry Breeders Association chairman Idrus Zainal Abidin said that the requirement should be relaxed after considering the problems faced by the poultry industry.
“In the past, co-ops could be made anywhere, and we did not have planning permissions or a building plan.
“Now, farms are inhabited by migrant workers, so the condition should be loosened,” he said, adding that he prioritises cleanliness in his enclosure. – The Vibes, June 20, 2022
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