PETALING JAYA - Malaysia’s chicken breeders and farmers want newly appointed Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu to meet them and help solve longstanding issues in the industry.
Selangor Chicken Breeders Association honorary adviser Ishak Mat Arif said he hopes Datuk Mohamad, widely known in Malaysia as Mat Sabu, would be able to resolve the issue of chicken prices, which has been putting a lot of pressure on breeders.
Datuk Ishak said the current ceiling price of RM9.40 (S$2.90) per kilogram has made it difficult for breeders to sustain their business, given that the cost of chicken feed has steadily increased since three years ago from RM80 per 50kg to RM135.
“We hope that with the new minister, the price of chicken will be set at a more reasonable amount, suitable for the people and sustainable for the breeders.
“We hope breeders will not be sidelined because we are supplying cheap sources of protein to the community,” he added.
Mr Ishak said bringing in more imported chicken, which has disrupted local market prices, has also affected breeders, and more would have no choice but to close down their farms.
“Our dependency (on imported chicken) can be unhealthy in the long run,” he added.
Mr Ishak said the government should consider either increasing the selling price of chickens or providing subsidies to breeders.
“This in the long run will help stabilise the price and breeders can continue to breed chicken,” he said.
Malaysian Rice Field Fraternity Association (Pesawah) chairman Muhammad Fuad Yaacob expressed his hope that efforts would be made to equip padi planters with technology to boost the industry.
“We hope the ministry will prioritise padi (rice) growers, especially the younger generation, by providing machinery and drones so that the industry can be brought forward,” he said.
Mr Fuad said he also hopes the new minister would prioritise various issues related to the industry, which is one of the sectors essential to national food security.
The minister should go to the ground frequently and talk to industry players in order to get a better understanding of their predicament, he added.
“We hope issues such as infrastructure, seed quality and the quicksand problem can be resolved.
“These issues need to be prioritised and continual discussions with farmers are needed to learn about the root causes and how to solve them,” he said, adding that Pesawah would meet with the minister.
He also hoped the new government would maintain subsidies and financial aid, as announced by the former government, to assist farmers. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
