THE move to give subsidies to chicken breeders and egg producers is expected to restore operations and at the same time overcome the problem of egg shortage in the market.

Deputy Agriculture and Food Industries (Mafi) Minister l, Ahmad Hamzah said the problem cropped up after industry players said they could not increase output because they were facing losses due to exorbitant costs including raw materials.

“Through visits and discussions with the ministry, we can confirm that breeders are actually facing problems and the government has taken steps to increase subsidies to ensure the rakyat is not affected.

“We believe the problem will be solved in about four months after the government announces the new subsidies which are in the process of undergoing adjustments within the industry,” he told reporters in Sungai Rambai, Jasin today.

Earlier, he officiated the Keluarga Malaysia Direct From Farm Sale Special Programme and the Keluarga Malaysia Cheap Sale Programme organised by the Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (Fama).

Hamzah said the government had increased the egg subsidy since February and continued with the subsidy from October until December following the rising operations cost faced by producers.

“Egg producers have also complained about their plight which I admit is quite ‘critical’. The government took steps to ensure their survival and guaranteed supply in the market at a reasonable price to ensure that the public is not burdened,” he said.

The media recently reported that the government decided to continue with the subsidies for breeders and egg producers from October to December at 80 sen a kilogramme for chicken and eggs at eight sen a piece after taking into consideration the ceiling prices of both items. – Bernama, October 22, 2022.