Chicken being sold at double the price in Malaysia

Chicken in Malaysia is being sold well above the retail ceiling price, up to about RM17 (S$5.33) per kg, at some local grocers.

The government has fixed a retail ceiling price for chicken of RM8.90 per kg, effective from Feb 5 to June 5. This comes as the country faces a shortage of chickens along with soaring prices, leading it to stop the export of 3.6 million whole chickens a month from Wednesday (June 1) until production and prices stabilize.

Rohanna Abdullah, 60-year-old housewife said her local supermarket now charges RM17.90 for one kg of chicken. “Earlier this year, RM17 could get me more than one kilo of chicken at the same supermarket but it’s just too pricey now,” she said. She added that when she went to the Datuk Keramat morning market in Kuala Lumpur in April, the price was already at RM10.50 per kg.

Health planner Noor Aishah Aziz, 32, said she is puzzled by the inconsistent pricing at her local grocer as it was RM13.50 on one day and RM10.50 the next. She said that she has reported the matter to the authorities several times, but the situation remained. “Maybe a more appropriate ceiling price would be RM10, given the increasing operational cost for chicken breeders,” she added.

Housewife Deza Hussain, 52, who had started planting vegetables at home to reduce expenses, feels the government should cap the ceiling price of chickens at RM7.80 to make it affordable to all.

Chicken seller Mohd Yusof, 60, said he barely made a profit after being charged RM9.80 per kg by wholesalers. “How are we supposed to pay rent, taxes and electricity if our profit is less than 70 sen per kg?” he said.

He claimed that “third parties” (wholesalers) were even limiting the supply of chicken and he had received only about 40 birds on Tuesday as compared to hundreds before. “Live chickens are being sold at about RM7 to third parties and they are selling it at RM9.80 to us. We can’t afford to lower our price. If anyone should, it would be the third party,” he said.

Another seller, who wished to be known as Kak Sham, 61, said her stocks were only enough for her loyal customers. “Sometimes they order 30 but I can only give them about 20. I am taking only 50 sen per kg in profit, after selling it at RM9.80,” she said.

Another trader, Lai Kean Seng, 50, said the government needed to strengthen the ringgit as it had contributed to the soaring price of chickens. “The weak currency has affected poultry farmers who have to import chicken feed,” he said.

Pensioner Mohammad Farouk, 61, said in the past his family ate chicken almost every day as it was rich in protein. “Now, I get it for my family only once a week”. Farouk said although most people could still afford chicken now, the government should look into a new price mechanism to help consumers and traders.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES