December 13, 2022

Malaysian pork dealers association calls for more import permits to be issued

Pork dealers from Sibu, Sarawak state, Malaysia, has urged the government to issue more import permits to allow supplier to import more pork, Malay Mail reported.

Oscar Ling, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sibu, said there are only four permit holders in the area, and more permits should be issued as live swine and pork products in the state are affected by African swine fever (ASF), resulting in a supply shortage.

To alleviate the shortage, the Sibu Pork Dealers Association hopes that permit applications will be opened for more suppliers to import pork.

The MP held a dialogue session with the Sibu Pork Dealers Association and the Sibu Livestock Farmers Association about issues with pork supply and egg prices. 

Ling urged the government to develop a form of agriculture insurance to protect farmers from losses caused by disease outbreaks.

He said agriculture insurance can be provided by insurance companies or set up by the government as a special fund to insure our farmers.

He also mentioned the livestock farming industry's lack of a complete ecosystem, as approximately 95% of livestock feed for the industry is imported.

Ling said feed accounts for roughly 70% of total livestock costs, and livestock prices will not be affected by the international market if feed is produced locally, adding that it would be good enough if 50% of feed is produced in Malaysia.  

-      Malay Mail