KPDNHEP, MAFI hatching a solution on egg shortage

JERANTUT: The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries (MAFI) are working hand in hand on the best solution to overcome the shortage of eggs which is rumoured to stretch till Ramadan.

Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid said it had received complaints regarding insufficient supply of eggs and initiatives were afloat to resolve the issue with MAFI to ensure that no parties were burdened.

"Ramadan will arrive in a few months, and of course suppliers and traders of 'kuih raya' need an abundant supply of eggs.

"This matter involves price and supply, so these two aspects are being discussed in detail. If the price is stable, but there is no supply, it will be a problem as well," he told a press conference after opening the Batu Balai 5 petrol station here today.

Also present were Five Petroleum Malaysia Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Juhari Abdul Ghani and its managing director Datuk Seri Dr King Lim.

Yesterday, media reported that the Federation of Livestock Farmers' Associations of Malaysia (FLFAM) expected the shortage of eggs in the market to linger until Ramadan, which is allegedly due to the increase in farmers' production costs.

According to data, Malaysians consume about 30 million chicken eggs a day or 930 million a month nationwide.

Apart from that, Rosol informed that a total of 2,410 inspections on the maximum price of chicken and chicken eggs were carried out nationwide from Saturday until yesterday, involving 48 wholesalers and 2,362 retailers.

Meanwhile, Lim when met by Bernama said Five Petroleum aimed to have 100 petrol stations nationwide, including in Sabah and Sarawak, by 2023.

To date, a network of 42 petrol stations of the new brand has been operational and 15 more new stations would be opened by April.

"We will strive to achieve the target. In fact, Five Petroleum Malaysia has received more than 200 applications to join the petrol station business (franchise) through the 5 Petrol brand," he said.

-- BERNAMA