July 27, 2009

Producers in Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak are protesting on the proposed importation of chicken products from Thailand.

 

Rancang Awal International Sdn Bhd will from next month onward, with the government's approval, import chickens from Thailand's Saha Farms Company Ltd. to supply the markets in Sabah and Sarawak.

 

The move would lead to an oversupply of chickens in Sabah which is self sufficient in poultry production, according to the President of Sabah Livestock Association, Datuk Mohd Tahir Picho.

 

Apart from the poultry sector, it is almost certain that other livestock and related industries will be adversely affected, he said.

 

The government's approval to import 400 units of 40-footer containers of chicken wings annually is already posing a threat to Sabah's farming community, said Mohd Tahir, adding that the association's repeated pleas to reduce the approved annual quota to 120 units have been ignored.

 

The commercial broiler farming is not subsidised unlike other agricultural sectors, and the approval to Rancang Awal International is inconsistent with the government's stand to encourage local production, Mohd Tahir said.

 

The chicken industry in Sabah has faced difficulties, including a shrinking farming community, high feed costs, threat of disease outbreaks and investment returns, he said.

 

The government should reconsider the approval to Rancangan Awal International because Thailand has not attained bird flu-free status yet, Mohd Tahir added.