KOTA KINABALU – Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan today assured that chicken supply in the state is halal, following reports of frozen chicken smuggling this year.
“Don’t worry, the chicken is halal,” he said during the question-and-answer session at the Sabah assembly sitting here, today.
Kitingan, who is also the state agriculture and fisheries minister, said that several security agencies are monitoring imports of frozen meat.
He said his ministry’s responsibility is to issue licenses for Malaysian companies to import frozen chicken into Sabah to stabilise supply in the state and that efforts to deter poultry smuggling are not under his jurisdiction.
“When issuing licenses, we ensure the source of the meat is halal, free from hand-foot-mouth disease, and (the import) will be limited to a certain period only. We cannot give licenses permanently because we want to encourage local production,” said Kitingan (Tambunan-GRS).
He was answering Sarafuddin Hata’s (Merotai-Warisan) supplementary question, asking if the halal status of Sabah’s chicken meat is guaranteed.
Sarafuddin said an operation in January this year revealed that RM33 million worth of frozen food was smuggled into Sabah.
At the time, Sabah police commissioner Datuk Idris Abdullah said nine syndicates were identified as importing frozen food without Customs’ approval in Sabah, and they are believed to have been in operation for the past 10 years.
“There are authorities to curb smuggling, and our (ministry) role is only to issue licenses. The rest is up to the other party,” he said.
On a related matter, Kitingan said to ensure further the safety of chicken meat for Muslims in Sabah, there are plans for the state to have its own halal certification hub in Kota Kinabalu.
He also said that while the supply of chicken in Sabah is not facing any shortage, the government still encourages locals to farm chickens at home for their own consumption, to help supply in the state remain stable. –The Vibes, May 25, 2023
