November 06, 2003
Malaysia's Poultry Farmers Ask For Higher Chicken Prices Due To Soaring Feed Prices
Poultry farm owners in Sarawak, Malaysia, who are hit hard by the soaring price of chicken feed, have asked the authorities to raise the ceiling prices of dressed chicken and parts.
Kuching and Samarahan Divisions Livestock Breeders Association broiler sub-committee chairman Lee Jin Chiaw said the request to revise the ceiling prices was made during a recent dialogue between association representatives and Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs officials.
Lee said the price of chicken feed had jumped by about 35% this year, and a further increase of over 10% was anticipated in the near future. Feed now costs RM64 per 50kg.
"Over the years, the price of feed has gone up by about 85%," he said yesterday.
Lee said the ceiling price of dressed broilers here was RM6.20 per kilo for a whole bird, while chicken breast and drumsticks retailed at RM6.50 per kilo.
He said that some poultry farms might close down due to surging of production costs, unless the government is willing to increase chicken selling price.
"Some of the farms have temporarily stopped production," he said.
He said the association would leave it to the state authorities to decide on the new ceiling prices.
Lee said farm owners had urged the state government over the years to ban the import of frozen chicken parts to protect the local industry but the request is not approved.
"The import of frozen chicken, which now makes up about 35% of the state's total supply, has forced poultry farms to cut their production from about 2.5 million birds to some 1.7 million birds a month," he said.
Lee claimed that as the state authorities allowed chicken imports without imposing duties, this had resulted in the dumping of rejected chicken parts from other countries.
He also claimed that processed chickens from China were found in local supermarkets in April although the state authorities had imposed a ban a month earlier.
