Domestic egg production set to recover by year’s end: Mat Sabu

JAKARTA – The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry expects domestic egg production to recover by the end of the year.

Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said this was due to the government’s efforts through various ministries to facilitate labour entry for agriculture and other sectors since January.

“God willing, egg production this year will be sufficient and can reach the export level at the end of the year,” he said at a gathering with the Malaysian diaspora in Indonesia yesterday.

He said his ministry would also continue to heed risks such as climate change and diseases that can affect production.

On December 16 last year, the ministry agreed to temporarily allow egg imports to overcome the shortage, a decision that would be reviewed once the domestic supply stabilises.

“After imported eggs started to come in, our supply is showing signs of stability, and at this stage, we can stop the imports at any time because we want to prioritise local producers,” he said.

Mohamad and the ministry’s senior officials are on a three-day visit to Indonesia from Friday to explore new technologies and approaches used by the republic to increase rice production.

He said his delegation had the opportunity to witness the success of rice farmers there, whose production is sufficient for the 276-million population.

“This will encourage our farmers to succeed if they work like farmers here, even though their subsidies are lower than in Malaysia,” he said.

Mohamad further said that his ministry aims to increase the national self-sufficiency level from the current 65% to 75% in 2025 and then to 80% in 2030.

“This will be achieved if the yield is increased from 5 tonnes/ha to an average of 7 tonnes/ha,” he said. – Bernama, March 19, 2023