KUALA LUMPUR: A report on alleged cartels controlling the price and production of chicken will be presented to the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) board on June 27, says its chief executive officer Iskandar Ismail.

       He said the board headed by chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Hishamudin Md Yunus would then decide if the investigation found any infringement.

       “A decision will then be made with our proposed next steps including notifying the parties involved and inviting them to give their defence before we come to a final decision.

       “Following the final decision, we can then fully reveal our findings to the public,” he said, adding this was expected to be sometime in September.

       “As of now however, investigations are still being actively carried out,” he told reporters after MyCC’s public consultation on amendments to the Competition Act 2010 (Act 712) here yesterday.

       Under the Competition Act 2010, a cartel is defined as being formed through a secret agreement between competitors in the same market.

       These competitors agree to either fix the price of their products, divide their markets or limit production, among others.

       On Feb 1, MyCC announced it had set up a special task force to investigate allegations of anti-competitive conduct which included anti-competitive agreements and/or abuse of dominant positions in the market that could cause an increase in the price of goods.

       This came following a directive from the National Action Council on the Cost of Living meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

       Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid had also said MyCC was in the final stages of completing its investigation, with the findings expected to be tabled this month.

       Commenting on MyCC’s public consultation process, Iskandar said it was encouraging to see so many stakeholders from both government and industry.

       “This is promising when we consider that public consultation is still something relatively new in Malaysia,” he said, adding that many also posed high quality questions during the session.

       In his speech earlier, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry secretary-general Azman Mohd Yusof said the public consultation provided fresh perspectives on improving the Competition Act.

       He added that the sessions were also important to obtain input from various stakeholders.

       “The input will then be compiled and shortlisted for discussion by the ministry before being brought to the Cabinet.

       “This will then be brought to Parliament, hopefully by the end of this year,” he said.