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THE Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) will increase the supply of lower-priced special grade chicken eggs following the government’s decision to end subsidies for the product starting 1 August, according to Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.
The initiative aims to provide the public with more affordable options and help stabilise egg prices.
“We also want to boost the supply of special grade eggs that are cheaper, like during the recent Ramadan period when they were sold at RM5 per tray,” Mohamad told reporters after attending a Pakatan Harapan Terengganu Hari Raya Open House.
“This time, we don’t know the exact price yet, but we are confident it won’t skyrocket,” Bernama cited him saying.
On 30 April, the ministry announced the termination of egg subsidies, but stated that a series of intervention measures would be implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living to mitigate the impact on the public.
Among the measures, the government assured that industry players had agreed to introduce special grade eggs at a reasonable price.
Mohamad also highlighted that Malaysians could continue to access competitively priced eggs through the nationwide Jualan Agro MADANI and Jualan Rahmah initiatives.
He explained that the decision to completely remove subsidies and price controls on eggs—alongside reducing the subsidy rate from RM0.10 to RM0.05 per egg effective from 1 May—was made after thorough consultation with stakeholders.
“We first negotiated with egg producers and industry players. We also adopted a soft landing approach, rather than making a sudden withdrawal. So I am confident egg prices will not surge uncontrollably,” he said.
Mohamad further called for an increase in the cultivation of local young coconuts, particularly fragrant varieties such as pandan coconuts, in response to growing demand from China.
“This is an opportunity for Terengganu, for instance, with its vast land to focus on this crop that can yield good income.
“… China has a population of over 1.4 billion, with more than 800 million able to spend… this is a wide-open economic opportunity,” he said.
On 19 April, Director-General of Agriculture Datuk Nor Sam Alwi announced that the opening of the fresh coconut market to China under the Phytosanitary Requirements Protocol marks a step forward in biosecurity controls and enhances systematic traceability in the production of high-quality young coconuts.
He said Malaysia would export young coconuts for fresh drinking purposes, with priority given to fragrant varieties such as pandan coconuts. - May 4, 2025