Mohamad Sabu: Egg prices unlikely to spike despite subsidy removal
KUALA TERENGGANU: The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) will increase the production of lower-priced special grade chicken eggs following the government's decision to end egg subsidies from Aug 1, said its minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.
He said the move aims to offer the public more affordable options while helping to stabilise market prices.
"We also plan to raise the supply of special grade eggs similar to those sold during Ramadan (March) at RM5 per tray.
"This time, we're unsure of the exact price, but we are confident it will not spike uncontrollably," he told reporters after attending Terengganu Pakatan Harapan's Aidilfitri open house here today.
On April 30, KPKM announced the subsidy removal and outlined several intervention measures, to be implemented jointly with the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN), to cushion the impact on consumers.
Among the measures is the industry's commitment to introducing special grade eggs at reasonable prices.
Mohamad said, aside from special grade eggs, consumers can obtain competitively priced eggs through nationwide initiatives such as Jualan Agro MADANI and Jualan Rahmah.
He stressed that the decision to end both the egg subsidy and price controls—as well as the reduction in subsidy rate from RM0.10 to RM0.05 per egg effective May 1—was made through stakeholder consultation.
"The decision was reached via engagement. We negotiated first with egg producers and industry players. The removal was done in a soft-landing manner, not abruptly. Therefore, I believe egg prices will not surge," he said.
Meanwhile, he encouraged the cultivation of local young coconuts, especially aromatic varieties such as pandan coconuts, to meet rising demand from China.
"This presents an opportunity, particularly for Terengganu with its vast land, to focus on a crop that can generate strong returns. China has a population of over 1.4 billion, with more than 800 million having spending power… this is a real economic opportunity," he said.
On April 19, Agriculture Department director-general Datuk Nor Sam Alwi said the opening of the fresh coconut market to China under the Phytosanitary Requirements Protocol marked a strengthening of biosecurity measures and the establishment of a more systematic traceability framework for quality young coconut production.
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