Standard chicken maximum price reduced by 20 sen from Feb 5 - PM Ismail Sabri

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Action Council on Cost of Living (NACCOL) that met today set RM8.90 as the maximum price for standard chicken, 20 sen cheaper than the fixed ceiling price of RM9.10.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who chaired the meeting, also said the price of chicken eggs for all grades will remain the same as currently set under the Keluarga Malaysia Maximum Price Control Scheme (SHMKM).

Both will take effect from Feb 5 until June 5, he said.

"The government will provide subsidies to ensure the price of items can be controlled such as SHMKM and details on the subsidies will be carried out by a cost of living task force headed by the Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry (MAFI) as well as several other ministries, representatives of government-linked companies and consumer bodies until prices stabilise," he said in a statement here today.

Ismail Sabri said besides this, import permits for whole chicken is now open to all chicken importers with approved permits (AP) compared to before this when the import of only chicken parts such as wings, thigh and others was permitted.

Ismail Sabri said the meeting, which focused on short-term solutions to reduce the pressure on rising prices, also agreed for chicken import APs to be opened to hypermarkets, besides also instructing the Malaysian Competition Commission (MyCC) to conduct investigations on the possibility of cartels working in cahoots to determine the prices of chicken and eggs.

He said the implementation of the Keluarga Malaysia Sales Programme (PJKM), involving 222 parliamentary constituencies, must be intensified with the joint cooperation of the relevant ministries to help the people have access to basic necessities that are cheaper.

"Kedai Harga Patut also needs to be reactivated nationwide while Pasar Tani (Farmers Market) must operate as frequently as possible. The meeting also requested the Finance Ministry to look into tax incentives to facilitate a transformation of the chicken farming industry," he said.

The prime minister said in addition, applications to hire Bangladeshi workers were opened in stages on Jan 28.

"Cooperatives involved in the agricultural industry will also be roped in to offer basic necessities without the involvement of middlemen as a way to stabilise prices," he said.

In addition, Ismail Sabri said the special meeting also discussed long-term measures that need to be taken to address the issue of food supply and production, especially for chicken and chicken eggs.

They include supporting research carried out by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) on oil palm kernel replacing corn and soy as chicken feed.

The prime minister also proposed that state governments extend the period of land use under the temporary occupation licence (TOL) for agricultural activities, while also giving the government's guarantee that food supplies will not only be sufficient but also affordable for the people.

"Long-term action plans will be discussed in detail in the next NACCOL meeting," he said.

On the meeting itself, he said it was to discuss food supply and production issues, especially on chicken and chicken eggs.

"Proactive action must be taken by the government to ensure prices remain reasonable, while at the same time also ensuring the chicken farming industry is not impacted and able to ensure supply remains stable," he said.

Ismail Sabri said four papers were presented by the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry, MAFI and the Transport Ministry in the meeting that was also attended by the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (FOMCA) and the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP).

-- BERNAMA