Supermarkets, retail stores in 5 states face egg shortage

 

Many retailers are complaining they are not getting sufficient supplies of eggs from wholesalers. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: The supply of eggs in supermarkets and retail stores in five states — Perak, Penang, Kelantan, Selangor and Melaka — is dwindling.

Many consumers and traders said they are having difficulty securing daily supplies.

In Perak, a survey by Bernama at a fresh food supermarket in Bandar Meru Raya, Ipoh, showed there were no eggs on the shelves or the storeroom. Some retail stores only offered limited quantities for purchase.

A grocery store worker, Muliadi Abdul Jalil, 32, said the lack of egg supply started three months ago. The shop previously stocked 60 trays but now only received half the order, or less, he said.

According to another grocery store worker, Fikri Abdul Rahman, 23, they now only received less than half of their normal supply of 150 trays, with an average of about 60 trays.

In Penang, a restaurant operator in Bandar Perda, Azhar Basirun, 59, said he needed at least 60 eggs for his business every day, but had to go hunting at many retail stores as traders were limiting purchases to only 10 eggs per person.

Consumer Haris Omar, 42, also said the supply of eggs was limited and the price was higher than usual. He hoped the problem could be resolved soon by the authorities because eggs were among the cheaper sources of nutrition for B40 families.

A chicken egg dealer in the market in Kepala Batas, Amirul Muizz, 45, said his supply had been reduced by more than half the usual. He said, sometimes, the wholesaler could not supply him any eggs.

In Kelantan, a survey at some grocery shops and supermarkets found there was a lack of the usual supply of eggs, with the options available being Omega and “sandy eggs”, which were more costly.

A supermarket worker in Bandar Baru, Hassan Basri, 27, said a supply of “sandy” and Omega eggs just arrived at his workplace today, but he expected the stock to be sold out quickly.

A bakery entrepreneur, Nadia Bustamam, 34, said a shortage of normal eggs had affected her business operations.

Meanwhile, in Selangor, a survey around Shah Alam found that eggs had been scarce for the past few months, especially in areas far from the city centre.

Housewife Rosliza Abdul Samad, 40, said the lack of supply had forced her to go to a supermarket further away from her housing area. She finally had to settle for Omega-type eggs, which were much more expensive, because it was difficult to find regular eggs.

In Melaka, nasi lemak trader Ismail Sulaiman, 40, from Klebang Pengkalan Rama, said he too faced difficulty finding eggs and this had affected his sales.

“Sometimes, I have to search in more than five shops for eggs. Grocery shops or supermarkets are limiting sales for each buyer.

“In addition to the shortage, the eggs sold are mostly B-grade, but I have no choice.”

Tan Hock Seng, 34, from Bachang, said the eggs at the nearby grocery store often ran out of stock, and sometimes, eggs were available only on certain days. - FMT