PETALING JAYA: Local chicken breeders want a better mechanism to stabilise the price of chicken feed and to expedite subsidy payment after the government’s move to remove subsidy for chicken breeders beginning July 1.

       Chicken breeder Mohd Fathi Jais, 49, said that the government must help local chicken breeders by stabilising and making chicken feed more affordable in the market.

       He said that the price of chicken feed has been going up since 2020.

       “If the cost of chicken feed is high, it will push the price of breeding chicken to be high.

       “During the last season, I sustained losses of about RM60,000 due to low quality chicken feed resulting in my chickens not growing as big as expected by the time they were ready for market,” he said yesterday.

       Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the government will no longer provide subsidies to chicken breeders from July 1.

       Instead it will be channelled directly to the people who are in need of assistance, especially those in the below 40 income group (B40), adding that this was aimed at ensuring the people are not burdened by the hike in chicken prices.

       Mohd Fathi, who has been in the industry since 2018, said that the government also needs to look into ways to facilitate and expedite the payment of subsidies to chicken breeders who have applied previously.

       “I had already applied in February this year but now its already June and I still have yet to receive the subsidy,” added the chicken breeder who has a poultry farm in Ijuk, Selangor.

       He said that the cost to breed one chicken is estimated at RM12 each with the weight of 2.2kg.

       “If the cost of chicken feed goes up, it will be difficult for us,” he added.

       Another chicken breeder who wanted to be known as Tan, 45, said the authorities should make it easier for new breeders to get the licence to breed chicken.

       “On top of that, the government can consider providing a more reasonable rate to sell whole chicken.

       “We are also looking for foreign workers for our farms,” he said.

       Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (Fomca) deputy president Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman said it is acceptable for the government to do away the subsidy for chicken breeders since there was not much response for it.

       “It could be because many of them are big players.

       “Perhaps, it is better for it to be used for others especially for those in the B40 group,” he said.

       However, he hoped the government would continue to find the best ways to ensure that the supply of chicken would remain stable while the prices are affordable for consumers.