Use palm kernels as chicken feed to rely less on exports, says Zuraida

Raevathi Supramaniam Raevathi Supramaniam Updated 1 year ago · Published on 31 May 2022 11:23AM · 1 Comments

Plantation, Industries and Commodities Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin says the ministry will promote the use of palm kernel as chicken feed and help the poultry industry reduce cost. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, May 31, 2022.

THE Plantation, Industries and Commodities Ministry (MPIC) will promote the use of palm kernel as chicken feed and help the poultry industry reduce cost, Zuraida Kamaruddin said. 

The minister said this will help the industry mitigate the high prices and reliance on imported chicken feed from Europe as the poultry industry battles rising costs. 

“Past researches have shown that feeding fermented palm kernel cake (PKC) and high dietary fat to broilers, can be a good substitute for the imported feed, which almost all commercial chicken farms use today,” she said in a statement today.

“MPIC will discuss with other stakeholders to review our export policy on PKC in favour of local broilers.  

“The ministry will also work with relevant agencies, government-linked companies and state governments to urgently look into how it can quickly ensure the availability of palm kernel waste as animal feed for the local poultry industry.”

The Ampang lawmaker said the ministry will also consult research institutes and public universities to enhance the quality of locally produced PKC.

This, she said, will help reduce Malaysia’s dependency on imported feed. 

As the world’s second largest producer of palm oil, Malaysia has a large amount of PKC as a by-product. 

The price of feed has gone up drastically from RM500 per tonne to RM1,900 in some cases due to ongoing war in the Ukraine and the resulting closure of the Black Sea ports. 

The highway cost of feed has in turn pushed up the prices of fresh chicken in the market, with traders selling above the ceiling price of RM8.90 per kg.  

Last weekend, poultry farmers staged a protest over the delay in subsidy payout by the government.  

The chicken price at wholesale markets in the Klang Valley spiked to as high as RM13 per kg over the weekend. 

This led to a shortage of chicken and the government made a decision to stop exports beginning June 1. 

Some poultry farmers have said they are not able to meet demand as their chickens have not reached the desired weight. – May 31, 2022.

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Comments

  • Why didn't this bitch mooted the idea previously or even better have it tested & trial at some of our chicken farms, rather then doing lip service and taking popular statement on the crisis. A good MP or minister anticipate or made statement well before hand of the crisis but what to do with have frogs and chickens without ballas in our cabinets minister

    Posted 1 year ago by Teruna Kelana · Reply