Malaysia likely to allow pork imports if prices increase

Malaysia's Veterinary Services Department will allow pork to be imported if the farm price of pigs continues to go up, director-general Datuk Dr Abd Aziz Jamaluddin said.

Jamaluddin said the interest of consumers ought to be protected and as such the department would have no choice but to bring in more pork from elsewhere.

According to media reports, he said from last August till Monday (July 6), the department paid MYR6.7 million in production incentives to pig farmers.

He said incentives have been given to 657 farmers throughout the country and it accounted for 5.8 percent of the total amount given to all farmers under the National Food Security policy, however, he said farmers still continue to raise prices.

He said the government was concerned as an uncontrollable hike would change the buying trend of consumers, adding that consumers might choose chicken or other meat and this will indirectly affect the prices of other commodities.

The farm price of pigs now is about MYR7 per kilogrammes, up from about MYR5.50 earlier this year.

Pig farmers and pork sellers have been at loggerheads for the past months over the farm price of pigs.

Pork sellers claim the farmers have been raising prices, causing the market to be depressed while the farmers say they have had to raise prices because of low profits and risks in the industry.

US$1 = MYR3.580 (July 10)