YONG PENG: Yong Peng could help solve the country’s egg shortage woes, says Ayer Hitam MP Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The MCA president said there were about 2,000 chicken farms nationwide and more than 100 are located in Yong Peng, which is also a popular egg production area for the domestic market and Singapore.
“About one million eggs are exported to Singapore daily so I do not think it will be an issue for them to up their supply to the domestic market.
“Moreover, Singapore has also gradually reduced its dependency on eggs from Malaysia from 72% in 2019 to less than 50% last year.
Ayer Hitam MP and MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong and Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi (second from left) handing out ang pao packets to children at the Johor level Chinese New Year celebration at Yong Peng on Saturday (Jan 28).
“I have raised the matter with the Prime Minister recently and the government should act fast (in approaching the farms in Yong Peng) as they need time to prepare.
“This could avoid the shortage of eggs from prolonging as the fasting month and Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive seasons are approaching soon after the lunar festive season,” he said when met by reporters at the Johor level Chinese New Year celebration at Yong Peng here on Saturday (Jan 28).
Dr Wee reiterated that local egg farmers should be prioritised to supply eggs to the domestic market rather than importing the staple item from India.
He also raised the matter of the freshness of the eggs that came in from India, which takes weeks to reach the Malaysian shores, compared with those supplied by the local farmers from Yong Peng.
If the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry were to conduct a working visit to Yong Peng to tackle the egg issue, Dr Wee said he welcomes them with open arms.
