KUALA TERENGGANU, Nov 9 — The removing of chicken subsidies and price controls that officially came into force on Nov 1 will bring positive returns to the people, among them being able to boost the poultry farming sector with the subsidy allocations that have been terminated being put to good use.
Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) 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 can 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 the disease monitoring, produce better chicken and improve farming practices.
Meanwhile, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Development lecturer, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Roshaiza Taha said that in order to realise the government’s desire to provide targeted subsidies to prevent them from being enjoyed by the rich and foreigners, identity cards 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 benefited the farmers.
This is because he said that 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 it ended up burdening the people.
Therefore, Mohammad Syafiq suggested that the government use the subsidy money to 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 create 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.
