THE prices of pork products on the peninsula could go up again next month, suppliers warned consumers as African swine fever disrupted supply.

Supplier Soo Yau Sheng said infected pigs were culled and farms shut down in February.

He told The Malaysian Insight that the government’s response to the ASF outbreak has led many farms to suspend operations.

“It takes six months to raise a pig for the market,” he said.

As such, the short supply will begin to be felt next month, he said.

Soo said the high prices of pork could continue until October.

And he has little faith in the government’s ability to tackle the dwindling supply and bring prices down.

“The problem is, pig farmers are losing confidence in the government’s actions to resolve the problem,” he said.

Soo said the government has placed “too many obstacles” to pig farming.

“The solution is not importing pork. The solution is to tackle the root cause of the problem.”

Soo suggested the government study what Thailand is doing to stabilise prices amid an ASF outbreak.

He said pork in Thailand costs RM9 per kilogramme compared to t RM17.20 per kilogramme in the Klang Valley

“Thailand was also affected by the African swine fever last year and the Covid-19 pandemic before that.

He said it is imperative that Putrajaya learn fron Thailand’s ASF policies to keep prices down.

Imported pork

Soo said hawkers and restaurants are choosing to use imported pork.

“I only use local pork, but most of the other food sellers are switching to imported pork as it is cheaper,” he added.

Ang Ban Lee, assistant general affairs manager of the Butchers Association of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, said many of his customers have switched to imported pork.

“Yes, imported pork is cheaper and that’s a fact. It’s simply that there is more supply than demand.”

He pointed out Thailand has more than 10,000 pig farms.

Thai farmers have excess to export, he added.

“Once we had more than 1,000 farms. Now we have no more than 400. That is why our pork prices are so high.”

On May 1, Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Chan Foong Hin warned that local pig farmers and suppliers would ultimately suffer if local pork prices continued to rise.

“If the price of local pork becomes more and more expensive, people will choose other sources of protein.” – June 16, 2023.