KUALA BERANG: The problem of shortage of chicken eggs in the market is expected to be resolved soon.

Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Rosol Wahid said the ministry was currently monitoring, inspecting and collecting data from 50 companies, representing 80 per cent of egg suppliers in the country, to ensure supply of chicken eggs in the market.

He said the increase in the purchase rate of chicken eggs before, during and after the Chinese New Year, apart from chicken farms and delivery companies not operating during the festive holidays, contributed to the disruption in the supply of chicken eggs in the market.

"Based on the data we have, the consumption of chicken eggs in Malaysia is 30 million eggs a day, which means almost an egg a day by one person, that is alot," he told reporters after at the Keluarga Malaysia Sales Programme (PJKM) at Dataran Pasar Tani Kuala Ping, here today.

Meanwhile, he said the shortage of chicken supply would also be resolved by the end of this month with the expected increase in chicken production after the Chinese New Year holiday.

He said based on data, a shortage of chicken is expected this month.

"According to the date, there is shortage of three million chickens in February. We need two million chickens a day, meaning 60 million chickens a month, but the supply in February is only 57 million," he said.

In a similar development, Rosol said chicken suppliers and operators of poultry farms were now required to submit reports on their stock of chicken on a weekly basis to the ministry.

This is to faciliate the ministry in taking immediate action if there is shortage in the supply, he said.

The government, he said, was also taking proactive measures to ensure continous supply of the 1kg polybag cooking oil in the market by limiting to only three packets for each purchase.

On the PJKM, conducted at 24 locations in Terengganu since last Dec 2, he said, it had generated sales of RM969,000.

-- BERNAMA