No racial elements in chicken shortage, says Selangor exco

 

Selangor Infrastructure, Public Utilities, Modernisation of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Committee chairperson Izham Hashim has dismissed alleged racial elements behind the current chicken shortages.

Izham said while "big brother" elements will exist across industries and affect smaller businesses, there are no racial elements in any decisions made.

"Don't bring in racial issues [...] There are no Malay, Chinese or Indian chickens. Chicken is chicken.

"There can be halal or non-halal chickens. But nothing racial. Don't raise the temperature with unnecessary matters," he said during a press conference held at the Gombak district agriculture office.

Izham (above) also stressed that the current chicken shortage was due to issues surrounding unsustainable production costs for farmers.

According to Izham, the Selangor government through 67 shops under the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority will provide funds to increase the supply from 4,000 chickens a day to 10,000 chickens beginning June 1 until the Hari Raya Aidiladha celebrations in July.

"The state government will provide an allocation to ensure chickens are available and sold at a low and discounted price.

"This is a short-term solution by Fama and Selangor Agriculture Development Corporation to address the shortage of chickens," he said.

Meanwhile, Izham said the state government has outlined a long-term plan to address the issue, including the issue of chicken breed and growing animal feed.

"The state government will start planting grains (for chicken feed) through an agreement with the Negeri Sembilan government to reduce dependency on foreign imports.

"The planting of grains involving 400 acres in Negeri Sembilan and 300 acres in Kuala Langat as a pilot project will start soon," he said.

The federal government yesterday announced a stop to Malaysia's monthly export of 3.6 million chickens beginning June 1 to address the food supply shortage.

The cabinet also previously decided to abolish the approved permit for chicken products, including whole chicken and chicken parts, to allow importers to be able to source more supplies. - Mkini