May 31, 2004

Brunei Farmers Import Chicken Feed From Indonesia To Lower Costs
 

While the high price of chicken draws public interest, some chicken farmers in Brunei are trying to get chicken feed from other countries such as Indonesia in the hope of lowering the farm costs.

The increasing price was apparently caused by the high costs of chicken feed which were imported from the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak.

The price of chicken has gone up to $4.90 to $5.00 per kilogram from $4.20 to $4.50 at the end of last month.

This has been attributed to the increasing price of chicken feed which now costs more than $30 a bag, a rise from $25 to $29 a few months ago.

The public meanwhile hoped for government control on the price based on factors such as the current price of chicken feed and production cost, as well as farm and retail profits.

The proposal is to protect both the consumers and chicken farmers, and to create a win-win situation for both sides, said some members of the public.

They felt the ceiling price should not make chicken farmers suffer losses.

"The public should also be protected from the irregular prices. Perhaps chicken feeds can be made available at subsidized rates," they said.