Spike in egg prices partly due to bird flu: Malaysia’s agriculture minister Read

• 19 Dec, 2018
• Malaysia

IPOH: The recent increase in egg prices in Malaysia is partly due to bird flu which has caused a disruption to supply, said Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Salahuddin Ayub on Saturday (Dec 15).

Another reason is the increase in export volumes, he added.

“The statement by the Malaysia Competition Commission that the export of chicken eggs to foreign markets has increased lately will also be looked into,” the minister told reporters on the sidelines of an event.

When asked if contingency measures are being put in place ahead of Chinese New Year, Salahuddin said a committee set up to look into egg prices must first determine what’s causing the price hike.

"Once the committee has come up with a report, we will take the necessary measures,” he said as quoted by the Star.

The competition commission had said on Thursday that it was looking into the possibility of anti-competitive behaviour among market players.

According to Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, the price of grade A eggs in Putrajaya in the first week of November increased from RM3.98 (S$1.30) for 10 eggs to RM5.11.

He said earlier this week that Malaysia is looking into limiting or stopping the export of eggs to ensure there is sufficient supply for its domestic market.

In response to Saifuddin's comments, Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said Singapore has "a wide range of alternative sources" of eggs, including local farms.

Last year, egg imports from Malaysia made up 73 percent of Singapore's egg consumption, said AVA.

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/malaysia-egg-prices-bird-flu-supply-disruption-11035372