6 days ago
MCA urges swift action to address poultry farmers' subsidy delays, costly farming rules
PETALING JAYA: MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has called on the government to urgently resolve two pressing issues faced by small and medium-sized poultry farmers in Johor, following a meeting between their association and Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.
Dr Wee said the Johor Small and Medium Poultry Farmers Association, led by its president Lim Kah Tseng, had raised concerns over delayed government subsidies and new farming regulations that threaten farmers' livelihoods.
'The association informed the minister that since 2022, 11 chicken and egg farmers in Johor have been owed more than RM2.01mil in subsidies meant to help offset the cost burden from government-imposed price ceilings on broiler chickens and eggs.
'However, payments have been repeatedly delayed, with 'technical issues' cited as the reason,' he said in a statement on Wednesday (Aug 13).
Dr Wee added that farmers were also troubled by new guidelines introduced by PLANMalaysia in August 2023, which allow local councils to regulate poultry farming and require open-air farms to be converted into closed-house systems.
Lim had explained that the conversion would be unsuitable for Malaysia's hot and humid climate, could increase infrastructure costs by up to sevenfold, around RM5mil, and involve complicated application processes, making survival difficult for small and medium operators.
'The minister listened attentively for over an hour and assured the association that he would engage the relevant agencies to help resolve the issues,' Dr Wee said.
