Don’t doubt halal status of imported chicken, says minister

 

The government has allowed temporary chicken imports to address the issue of supply shortage locally.

KUALA LUMPUR: Consumers need not worry about the halal status of imported chicken as the government will only obtain supplies from producers recognised by the health ministry and two agencies assigned to monitor the matter.

Agriculture and food industries minister Ronald Kiandee said the two agencies were the veterinary services department and the Islamic development department of Malaysia (Jakim).

“The agencies are monitoring the matter and will issue certificates to producers from abroad.

“The import of chicken will only be allowed from recognised processing plants that have a halal certificate,” he told a press conference after officiating the 36th annual general meeting of the National Fishermen’s Association (Nekmat) at Tamu Hotel and Suites, here, today.

Kiandee said the decision to import chicken was made to address the issue of supply shortage that had been going on over the past few months.

However, he said the initiative would only be carried out temporarily to ensure that supplies of chicken in the market are sufficient.

The government has allowed companies to import frozen whole chicken until February 2022. This includes imports of up to 10,000 metric tonnes or 5.5 million chickens a month to cover shortages in chicken supply.

Earlier, Kiandee presented the Nekmat Outstanding Student Award to six students from different institutions of higher learning. - FMT