THE cabinet today agreed to provide a subsidy of 60 sen per kg to poultry farmers, by taking into account the farm-level price of live chickens at RM5.90 per kg and the retail price of standard chicken at RM8.90 per kg.

Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Ronald Kiandee, in a statement, said the cabinet also agreed to provide a subsidy of five sen per egg from all categories.

“The subsidy period is from February 5 to June 4, which is during the implementation of the Keluarga Malaysia Maximum Price Control Scheme (SHMKM),” he said.

Ronald said the purpose of the subsidy is to ease the burden of farmers following the increase in costs, especially for feed, which covers 70% of production costs, apart from logistics, labour, utilities and medicines.

He hoped that the government’s intervention through the provision of subsidies to farmers will stabilise the supply and ensure that the people could buy chicken and eggs at affordable prices.

He said the estimated financial implication to the government to implement the subsidies nationwide over the four-month period is RM528.52 million.

He said his ministry, through the Department of Veterinary Services, will also continue to hold engagement sessions with the industry to ensure it remains sustainable and able to meet the local demand. – Bernama, February 9, 2022.