Penang consumer group calls on new govt to focus on food security
GEORGE TOWN, Dec 8 — The egg shortage issue in the country that has been going on for over six months should be resolved with a long-term food security policy, Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) president Mohideen Abdul Kader said.
He said the newly formed government should come up with policies for the country to produce its own food supplies by focusing more on agriculture and the food supply industries.
“We are importing chicken feed and most of the meat we consume, about 70 per cent, are imported,” he said in a press conference at the CAP headquarters here.
He said the government should be looking into approving more agricultural projects and farms so that the country can produce its own supply of food instead of relying on imported food supplies.
“We have to look at this as a whole and give more priority to food security rather than focusing on bringing in more industries that cause pollution,” he said.
He said the government previously was more focused on commodities like palm oil and other industries but had neglected food security.
“It is time to shift to producing our own supply of food, we have plenty of lands for that but we are not producing enough,” he said.
As for the current egg shortage situation, he said the recent announcement by the Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu to import eggs is a temporary measure.
“The government must come up with a more comprehensive long term plan,” he said.
He hoped the ministry will investigate why there was a shortage now when before this, the egg supplies in the country was sufficient.
“All this time, we have sufficient egg supply and we even exported eggs so what is there suddenly a shortage?” He asked.
He claimed there could be a plan by certain cartels to slaughter egg-laying chicken early to reduce the supply of eggs as a way to manipulate the prices of eggs in the market.
“The government should set up a committee to investigate the existence of such cartels that are using these tactics to manipulate the market prices of eggs,” he said.
