KUCHING: The shortage of eggs and the skyrocketing prices since last March have worried Sarawak bakers here.
Several bakers here said they were pressured to continue their business because it was difficult to get eggs.
A Sarawak baker entrepreneur, Nur Diana Majelan, 29, running her family business who owns a Mexi bun bakery, said the shortage of eggs was a big problem for them to expand the business.
“Finding 100 egg boards a week is very difficult compared to between 250 and 300 boards a week previously. We can only buy the eggs in bulk from a retail shop near Petra Jaya.
“The price is out of control and is rising,” she said in an interview with Sarawak Tribune reporter today.
Despite the problem, Nur Diana still maintains the price of her buns to retain her loyal customer and maintain her business.
Also expressing the same concern was baker Siti Hawa Perseh, 48. She sells cream puffs, brownies, pizza, buns and birthday cakes.
“The price of eggs at the beginning of this year was RM11.90 per tray. It has now jumped to RM14.50 for size A and up to RM18.00 per tray in the rural areas.
“The uncontrollable production costs are reducing the traders’ profits,” she said.
Meanwhile, another layer cake entrepreneur Nur Fadzillah Abdullah, 31, suggested that production incentives be given to chicken egg farms besides controlling the ceiling price at a reasonable rate to address this issue.
“If eggs are being exported, production for export purposes must be stopped immediately.
“Domestic consumption should be given priority over the export market, just as the measure to freeze the export of raw chicken to Singapore was implemented,” she added.
“Currently, the incomes of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are declining due to rising raw material prices and rising wages.
“If this matter cannot be resolved or the impact cannot be mitigated, it is a failure for the ruling government.
“Every two days, the supply of eggs will be replenished, but because many people are buying, the eggs will run out quickly,” he said, adding that the consumption of eggs in Sarawak was around 2.2 million eggs a day compared to its production of 2.5 million eggs a day,” according to Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi in a statement recently.
In addition, the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) should also work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry Malaysia (MAFI) at the federal government level and the Ministry for Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development (MANRED) at the state government level in promoting production including the output of poultry feedstuffs.
