Chicken price hike will not burden rakyat too much: farmers’ association

KUALA LUMPUR – The price of chicken, expected to rise from July 1 onwards, will not burden the consumers too much, said the Federation of Livestock Farmers’ Associations of Malaysia (FLFAM).

FLFAM adviser Datuk Jeffrey Ng Choon Ngee said while his organisation is presently unable to ascertain the new price of chickens, it will not be a significant increase.

“According to our calculations, the price of chickens will not increase too much because if it is too expensive, surely consumers would not purchase them,” he said when contacted by The Vibes’ sister portal Getaran.

Ng also said the supply of chickens now has stabilised, compared with the Aidilfitri celebrations, when demand skyrocketed.

“Now the demand for chicken in the market has stabilised, so please don’t panic buy, because that will further disrupt the supply and price of chickens in the market,” he said.

Meanwhile, Selangor Poultry Breeders Association chairman Idrus Zainal Abidin said the price of chickens from July 1 onwards is expected not to exceed RM10.30 per kg.

Idrus said the biggest factor for rising chicken prices is the cost of feed, which saw an exponential increase since January.

“The price of chicken is also dependent on the price of baby chicks that have risen from 10 to 20 sen each.

“So the rise in chicken prices is based on these factors. It is not that the breeders deliberately want to raise prices, because we are also afraid that people will not buy them. We have to bear all these other costs,” he said.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi recently announced that the government will remove the ceiling prices for chicken and eggs from July 1 onwards.

Similarly, he also announced that the government will end subsidies on bottled cooking palm oil products, effective July 1 as well. – The Vibes, June 24, 2022.