KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has agreed on Wednesday (Feb 9) to provide a subsidy of 60 sen per kg to poultry farmers, by taking into account the farm-level price of live chickens at RM5.90/kg and the retail price of standard chicken at RM8.90/kg.

       Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee, in a statement, said the Cabinet also agreed to provide a subsidy of 5 sen per egg from all categories.

       "The subsidy period is from Feb 5 to June 4, which is during the implementation of the Keluarga Malaysia Maximum Price Control Scheme (SHMKM)," he said.

       According to Kiandee, the purpose of the subsidy is to ease the burden of farmers following the increase in costs, especially for feed, which covers 70% of production costs apart from logistics, labour, utilities and medicines.

       He also hoped that the government's intervention through the provision of subsidies to farmers would stabilise the supply and ensure that the people could buy chicken and eggs at affordable prices.

       He said the estimated financial implication to the government to implement chicken and egg subsidies nationwide over the four-month period was RM528.52mil.

       He said his ministry, through the Department of Veterinary Services, would also continue to hold engagement sessions with the industry to ensure it remains sustainable and able to meet the local demand. - Bernama