The government will only import eggs from India until local supplies stabilise, said Agriculture and Food Security Minister, Mohamad Sabu.
He said the measure was taken because local producers were unable to meet the demand which resulted in a shortage of eggs in the market.
The problem now is that local farmers are not producing enough eggs,” he told reporters after delivering his New Year’s message to the ministry’s staff, here today.
He was commenting on Ayer Hitam Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong’s statement that the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (MAFS) should prioritise local farmers instead of importing eggs from India to deal with the issue of chicken egg supply shortage.
Mohamad said MAFS was currently holding discussions with other ministries including the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Finance as well as local egg producers on whether to continue or make changes to the subsidy mechanism in order to increase supply in the market.
He also stated that the government is looking at the possibility of floating chicken egg costs as well as offering subsidies to the B40 group.
“Discussions are taking place with the ministries of finance, economic affairs, domestic trade, and cost of living.”
“There have been recommendations that egg prices be floated and that subsidies be provided to the B40 community. We are investigating if this will benefit low-income people.
