Malaysia to Halt Price Controls for Chicken and Eggs after June 2023
On February 27, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) announced that subsidies for chicken eggs will continue until June 2023 to ensure a steady supply of chicken eggs in Malaysia. Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu previously shared that Malaysia will allow the prices of chickens and eggs to be floated to enable the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry to better monitor and assess price fluctuation of goods and advance government effectors to overcome the food shortage. Currently, the retail price ceiling in Peninsular Malaysia for standard chicken is RM9.40 (US$2.13) per kg while the retail price ceiling for eggs ranges from RM0.45 ($0.10) to RM0.41 (US$0.09). The MAFS shared that a study on the mechanism and policy for more targeted subsidies will soon be finalized. The MAFS also plans to reevaluate the need for imported chicken eggs. In December 2022, the MAFS agreed to allow the temporary importation of chicken eggs due to the domestic egg shortage. However, the MAFS expects domestic egg production to recover and reach export level by the end of 2023 following government efforts to facilitate labor entry into agriculture and other related sectors.