KUALA TERENGGANU, Nov 9 — The removing of chicken subsidy and price control that officially came into force on November 1 will bring positive returns to the people, according to experts.
They believe that the move, will among other things, boost the poultry farming sector with the subsidy allocations that have been terminated being put to good use.
Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin’s Faculty of Business and Management senior lecturer Dr Sheikh Ahmad Faiz Sheikh Ahmad Tajuddin said the subsidy allocation could be channeled to local chicken farmers to help them improve productivity and quality of their livestock production.
“When the productivity and quality of chicken production increases, it is not only able to stabilise the price of chicken in the market, but also boost the country’s chicken supply and further reduce dependence on imports,” he told Bernama.
He said the funds could also be diverted to carry out research and development programmes in the poultry industry and assist farmers in disease monitoring, produce better chicken and improve farming practices.
Meanwhile, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu’s Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Development lecturer Assoc Prof Dr Roshaiza Taha said in order to realise the government’s desire to provide targeted subsidies, to prevent them from being enjoyed by the rich and foreigners, identity or subsidy cards should be introduced.
“Just like the membership card used in some supermarkets to differentiate between wholesalers and ordinary buyers, identity cards or subsidy cards should be given to the needy to ensure that government aid or subsidies really reach only them,” she said.
Besides, she said savings of RM100 million per month as a result of ending the chicken subsidy can be channeled back to the people in various ways, such as upgrading schools, roads and increasing the number of hospitals.
Meanwhile, a chicken wholesaler, Mohammad Shafiq Rosli, 30, of Sapik Poultry Trading Company said the government’s move to end the chicken subsidy has benefited farmers.
This is because he said although the government had previously channeled subsidies of millions of ringgit to farmers to stabilise the price of chicken in the market, the price of the protein food had always increased and ended up burdening the people.
Therefore, Syafiq suggested the government use the subsidy allocation to instead fund chicken breeding projects in appropriate locations to overcome the problem of high chicken prices and lack of supply.
“The government, through the related agriculture department or agency, can find a way to produce more farmers.
“With capital support and the right guidance, I think many people are interested. Even in Terengganu, there is still a lot of vacant land suitable for livestock activities,” he said.
— Bernama
