September 12, 2023

Chicken sellers in Penang, Malaysia, face difficulty to maintain low prices and spend on freezers

Chicken sellers in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, are faced with a double whammy – having to keep prices low and spending more on costly freezers to keep the meat fresh.

A seller said he spent RM10,000 (US$2,140) on a freezer while keeping the price of each processed chicken at RM9.40 (US$2.01) per kilogramme.

The ceiling price of standard chicken is currently set at RM9.40 per kilogramme at retail level and RM8.10 (US$1.73) at wholesale.

In Penang, chicken sellers were not allowed to slaughter chickens at wet markets since 2021, a move to improve hygiene and prevent waste from flowing into the sea. Six chicken slaughterhouses were approved in 2020 and birds are sent chilled to retailers.

Under the new policy, traders are required to install chillers at poultry stalls in markets to maintain the freshness of the chickens at temperatures of between 0°C and 4°C. Chicken traders are also able to get supply from a centralised storage and distribution centre.

Another chicken seller, who sold about 50 to 60 chickens a day, blamed weak business on "many contributing factors, such as the rising cost of living and reduced spending power."

"Having to buy a freezer to store the chickens is a financial burden," he added.

- The Star