THE price of chicken from July 1 without government subsidy will range from RM10 to RM12.50 per kg, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said today.

He said the ministry understands and expects the price to be higher than RM10 due to rising costs, but when asked if it would be more than RM12.50, he said associations involved in chicken farming stated prices will not reach that level.

“The price of chicken will be floated according to market forces. We expect this. The associations involved said it will be a little higher than RM10, but it won’t reach that (RM12.50). 

“But I cannot confirm. I can only assure consumers that if they raise the price too high, we will use the law against them for profiteering,” the minister told a press conference this afternoon after a dialogue session with food producer groups.

A video of his press conference was posted on the ministry’s Facebook.

Nanta also said the price of eggs will increase come July 1.

The price is currently capped at RM8.90 per kg for a standard chicken and RM9.90 per kg for super chicken under the government’s maximum retail price scheme, which ran from February until early June. 

The scheme was extended till the end of this month amid a chicken shortage as farmers struggled with lower output due to the rising cost of imported feed, and other problems such as weather and worker shortage.

The minister said he received feedback today from chicken breeders about the shortage of workers on farms, as they faced competition from other sectors, such as oil palm plantations, which were paying foreign workers more.

“It is true that chicken farms are facing a shortage of foreign workers. Many of them are heading for plantations instead of chicken farms,” Nanta said.

He said though the price of chicken is set to increase, lower income groups will receive help from the government through targeted cash handouts, the details of which the Finance Ministry will announce. – June 21, 2022.