SABAK BERNAM: The shortage of a key ingredient in chicken feed, namely maize from Brazil, is among the causes of the substantial hike in the price of poultry, says Datuk Dr Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh.

       The Deputy Agriculture and Food Industries Minister II also said he was confident the price of chicken would go down after the Covid-19 pandemic had eased because the issue was the price of chicken feed.

       "We did not raise the price of chicken feed, it is the international price from Brazil, which is facing a shortage of maize, and we import maize from there.

       "Hence, when there is a rise in global demand, the prices of chicken feed and chicken in all countries will go up. It is not just us. The price of chicken in Jordan is about RM18 a kilogramme.

       "The hike in other countries is much worse than us and their governments can’t afford to give subsidies,” he said.

       He was speaking to the media after visiting the Large Scale Smart Paddy Field (Smart SBB) programme in Sungai Burung, Sekinchan, here Tuesday (Feb 22).

       Nik Zawawi said Malaysia was among the countries that provided subsidies to the people after the Covid-19 pandemic hit and when the country was affected by extraordinary floods recently, as it could still afford to do so.

       "Many other countries give up because they cannot afford to provide assistance to the people,” he added. - Bernama