KUCHING: Sarawak Livestock Breeders’ Association president Tsai Kin Shin has pleaded with the federal government not to extend the Malaysian Family Maximum Price Control Scheme (SHMKM).
Tsai pointed out that SHMKM had caused incredible losses for the poultry farmers and heavily affected the normal operation of poultry farming.
“Since the government’s announcement of this six-month consecutive price control scheme last December, poultry farmers have had to stop their farm operation and/or reduce production in the face of a surge in imported raw materials for feeding.
“In February 2022, the government announced that they will provide poultry farmers with a subsidy of 5 cents per egg and 60 cents per kilogramme of broilers.
“However, the government’s subsidies have not been in place where only a few farms have received the subsidies thus far and even if the government’s subsidies are received today, they are still not enough to offset the cost of the eggs and broilers,” Tsai said during the press conference here at 56 Hotel, Jalan Tun Jugah.
Consumers are extremely troubled by the problem of egg shortages as consumers need to run around to buy eggs, add up with the fact that some remote places are also facing shortages and transportation problem which contributes to further shortage problems, Tsai pointed out.
He suggested several ways that could be taken by the government to balance the supply of eggs. These include: a) stopping the implementation of price control scheme on eggs and broilers after SHMKM ends on 5 June 2022; b) increasing the amount of subsidy if price control scheme is extended; c) adding up an extra 6 cents of subsidy on top for an egg, which brings it to 11 cents; d) adding up an extra 60 cents of subsidy per kilogramme for broilers, which brings it to RM 1.20 per kilogramme; e) maintaining the subsidy for eggs but increase the market price set by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP); f) adding 6 cents of subsidy for an egg in Kuching and Sibu; g) adding 8 cents of subsidy for an egg in Bintulu and Miri; h) additing 12 cents of subsidy for an egg in Limbang and Lawas and (i) adding 60 cents of subsidy per kilogramme for broilers throughout Sarawak.
“I hope that the government’s subsidies will be put in place as soon as possible without further delay, subsidising the main raw materials for feeding such as corn and soybean meal, and solving the labour shortage problem,” Tsai pointed out.
