Rising import costs behind shortage of chickens: poultry farmer
“RM9.10, then RM8.90 and some for just RM8. It’s not that there are no chicks or the ones we have are defective, but who wants to breed chickens if they only bring losses?”
(The Vibes) – A poultry farmer has stepped forward to divulge insider details on the issue of a shortage of chickens in the market, following allegations of chickens being rationed by irresponsible parties with a hidden agenda.
The Vibes’ sister publication Getaran reported that farm owner and chicken breeder Yani Hardinata Hairuddin, who is also the owner of chicken supplier Wak Akob, shared that the matter was triggered by the stark price increase of imported raw materials.
Noting that the price of chicken used to depend on costs involved without any fixed pricing, he said that everyone part of the chicken business – from bran manufacturers to traders – did not face any problems.
“Because of the weakness of our ringgit, rising international shipping costs and supply factors, the price of corn has increased (more than 100% in 2021).
“Soybean prices have also increased (more than 30%) as well as wheat prices. All these ingredients are main components of bran (more than 80%) and they are imported,” he said on the Wak Akob Facebook page.
He added that bran must be produced accurately so that the chickens receive sufficient nutrients and can efficiently grow to the maximum within a stipulated period.
“Chicken breeds here are mostly imported such as COBB, ROSS, and Indian River. They eat whole grain corn instead of sweet corn from Cameron Highlands.
“Corn is not widely grown in Malaysia and we do not import these materials in small quantities. Within a year, more than 3.9 million metric tonnes of grain maize and over 1.4 million metric tonnes of soybeans are imported,” he said.
Explaining the link between rising costs of raw materials and the increase in bran prices, he pointed out that livestock costs will not be spared from the equation.
