MAFI assures adequate chicken, egg supply for Aidilfitri

GURUN: The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries (MAFI) has assured adequate chicken and egg supply to meet the demand for the Aidilfitri celebration next month.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee said the supply of raw materials is stable.

"We are monitoring the poultry and egg farms, and we are assured by the farm operators and producers that there is sufficient supply for the upcoming festive season.

"MAFI will see in terms of supply perspective while the price will be monitored by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs," he told reporters after officiating the United Arab Emirates-based HotPack Packaging Industries LLC (Hotpack) groundbreaking ceremony here today.

Free The Seed Sdn Bhd (Free The Seed), a Malaysian biotechnology company that manufactures biodegradable products from rice straw, has partnered with Hotpack to build the first Hotpack plant in Southeast Asia.

Through the collaboration, Free The Seed becomes a technology and operational partner for Hotpack, providing raw materials, expertise, workforce, and technical knowledge to the UAE company, while Hotpack will manufacture and provide a new line of biodegradable products for its global markets, including Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

In the meantime, Ronald said the cost of livestock production is currently increasing because the price of imported animal feeds is also increasing.

"From MAFI's point of view, the cost of livestock production has increased over the past two months. We import corn and soybean meal from overseas depending on the import market price," he added.

-- BERNAMA