Now Reading
RM200 Million Down The Drain Each Day: Poultry Farmers Said Ceiling Price Is Killing Them

RM200 Million Down The Drain Each Day: Poultry Farmers Said Ceiling Price Is Killing Them

Financially bleeding, poultry farmers urge the government to remove cap on ceiling price for chickens.

Subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest stories and updates.


A total of 3,000 poultry farmers throughout the Peninsula are losing RM200 million a day.

The reason: implementation of the Keluarga Malaysia Maximum Price Control Scheme (SHMKM) which forced them to bear the increase in production costs.

Speaking to Utusan Malaysia,  Federation of Livestock Farmers Associations of Malaysia (FLFAM) advisor Datuk Jeffrey Ng said the losses of the farmers forced them to close operations.

They are not able to cover the cost and losses suffered on the value of each kilogram of chicken sold.

FLFAM advisor Datuk Jeffrey Ng on the poultry farmers’ predicament.

He explained that the inevitable closure of operations was one of the reasons for the shortage of chicken and egg stocks, as what happened throughout the country recently.

When the government implements the price scheme, the selling price of chicken to consumers has to be reduced while the production cost increases. Ultimately the ones who bear the cost of the loss are the breeders. In addition we do not receive any subsidies or government assistance.

FLFAM advisor Datuk Jeffrey Ng on the burden placed on poultry farmers.

When this happens, it directly affects the chicken supply chain throughout the country and even now it has happened recently, said Ng.

READ MORE: “20 Sen Je?” Malaysians Unhappy With PMO’s Fancy New Chicken Price Video

A worker putting up trays of eggs at a supermarket. (Credit: Malays Mail)

Chicken Or The Egg

A recent Special Meeting of the National Subsistence Action Council (NACCOL) decided to put a maximum on chickens.

The maximum retail price for standard chicken is reduced by 20 sen from the current ceiling price of RM8.90.

Meanwhile, the price of all grades of chicken eggs remains the same as the current SHMKM control price from 5 February until 5 June.

READ MORE: Selangor Sets Ceiling Price Of Chickens In PKPS Centres At RM8, Lower Than Federal Govt

Prior to that, from 1 January to 4 February, the government implemented SHMKM involving 12 items under the category of chicken, chicken eggs and vegetables.

The move is a short-term measure to stabilize the price of goods and the availability of supply in the market.

Still Waiting For Subsidy

In the meantime, Ng raised the subject of subsidies as promised by the government.

Until now, the farmers have not received any information on the matter to cover the costs incurred by them.

The farmers are in dire need of a subsidy to reduce the burden they had to bear and directly restore the chicken supply chain.

Indeed, we have news of subsidies, but until now we have not been informed of the mechanism and when the farmers will receive it.

FLFAM advisor Datuk Jeffrey Ng on the promised subsidy which ahd yet to materialise.

The move is seen as a better solution than importing chickens in order to meet demand and stabilise prices.


Subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest stories and updates.

Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.

© 2024 The Rakyat Post. All Rights Reserved. Owned by 3rd Wave Media Sdn Bhd