KUALA LUMPUR: The government will stop the import of frozen chicken and go back to relying on local supply by February or March next year, Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee told the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said the current low chicken supply in the country was caused by the continuous Movement Control Order (MCO) implemented since last year.
During the MCO, he explained that the demand for chicken was low and now that the lockdown has been lifted, industry players are facing a sudden surge in demands.
"It is important to understand that the process to breed the chickens and eventually to use it (to supply it to the market) will take about two months. This means there's a two-month lapse here.
"Based on our engagement with industry players, they have assured us that the supply will be stabilised after February and so this is a temporary problem as far as local chicken supply is concerned.
"The import of chicken will be stopped as soon as our production is stabilised," he said in the Lower House.
The government has allowed companies to import frozen whole chicken from this month to February next year, including imports of up to 10,000 metric tonnes or 5.5 million chicken a month to cover shortages in supply.
At the same time, Kiandee also assured that all imported frozen chicken is halal as the process to determine the status of the imported chicken is closely monitored by a committee consisting of the Veterinary Services Department (DVS) and the Islamic Development Department Malaysia (Jakim).