SEREMBAN: The Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry has simplified the application procedure to expedite subsidy payments to chicken breeders, says its minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (pic).

       He said the application and review procedures that were implemented at three levels previously were reduced to a single level, namely the state level, and the approval of payment at the headquarters level.

       "Applications previously needed to go through three steps, namely district, state and headquarters level. Approved subsidy payments will be credited to the accounts of successful breeders in a matter of just three days," said Ronald

       "The Ministry is committed to ensure the dispersal of subsidies is implemented immediately by complying with the conditions set so as to benefit breeders," he added in a statement after visiting a chicken processing factory in Rembau on Tuesday (May 10).

       He said breeders were required to submit application forms and supporting documents such as sales invoices, delivery orders for the purchase of chicks, and a copy of the contract agreement between the integrator or contract breeders to claim the subsidy within the stipulated period.

       On Feb 28, the Ministry was reported to have opened subsidy applications to broiler and egg-producing hen breeders until June 6, involving the production of broilers and eggs produced from Feb 5 to June 5.

       Ronald said that the current subsidy rate is 60 sen per kilogramme (kg) for broilers and 5 sen/per egg of all categories, involving private breeders, integrator/semi-integrator breeders, and contract breeders involving RM528.52 million which benefitted 2,255 individuals.

       He added that the government noted that although breeders have begun to enjoy the subsidy, production costs continued to rise, including the price of corn by 13.41% in April while the price of soybean meal increased by 10.57% compared to March.

       "This caused the cost of chicken production in farms to increase by 10.77%, from RM6.50/kg to RM7.20/kg," he said.

       He added that proactive action would be continued to ensure the viability of the poultry industry even though the country was facing a continuous increase in production costs, which was a global phenomenon.

       Ronald said that the Ministry is also studying the need to extend the approval period for chicken import quotas by taking into account the assessment of the country's supply needs, as the government previously allowed the import of chicken up to 10,000 tonnes per month, including from Thailand and China.

       Currently, companies had been given quota approvals for the period from December 2021 to this month and this would be stopped once the supply of whole chickens in the country is sufficient.

       "The Ministry will continue to focus on improving the country's food security through various strategic partnerships, especially with inter-ministry collaborations in ensuring that the industry remains sustainable and the country's food security continues to be guaranteed," he added.