PUTRAJAYA: The lifting of subsidies and price controls on chicken will save the government RM100mil a month, says Datuk Chan Foong Hin.
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security assured that the retail price of chicken will not experience a significant increase as there is an abundant supply.
Chan said prices are not expected to fluctuate too much, with chicken at retail outlets in rural areas likely to remain at about RM10.40 per kg, while those at hypermarkets would exceed RM9.40 per kg.
“Although the government had previously set the maximum retail price for chicken at RM9.40 per kg, traders at retail level imposed additional charges ranging from RM1 to RM2 per kg, resulting in the price of chicken rising to RM10.40 per kg,” he told a media briefing at the ministry.
He said two local supermarkets sold chicken at RM7.49 and RM7.99 per kg, which meant the price of chicken should not increase too much, adding that those who raised prices indiscriminately would be prosecuted.
Furthermore, he mentioned that if chicken prices rise due to demand during the upcoming Deepavali festival on Nov 12, the government may implement a festive season price control scheme through the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN).
The government, he said, had allocated RM3.8bil for egg and chicken subsidies since February 2022, and the RM100mil savings per month with the lifting of subsidies would be used to implement targeted subsidies.
Malaysians eat about 70.43 million chickens per month or 845.16 million birds yearly.
On average, each person in the country consumes about 48kg of chicken per year.
