Ameer Ali Mydin said it did not make sense to import eggs considering that Malaysia is a net exporter of the food item.
“If there is insufficient supply, then we should just stop exporting eggs to Singapore and Hong Kong so there are enough eggs for Malaysians,” he told FMT Business.
“If the authorities say we produce enough eggs for the domestic market, then where are they? Retailers do not have sufficient supply,” said Ameer, the managing director of the Mydin chain of hypermarkets.
He was commenting on agriculture and food security minister Mohamad Sabu’s announcement that the government has agreed to import chicken eggs from several foreign sources as a short-term measure to ensure adequate supply.
Ameer said if the government decided to proceed with the plan, it should clarify if any company could import the eggs or if retailers have to go through an appointed company.
“The government should also provide a list of countries where the eggs can be sourced from and a list of approved producers from those countries,” he said.
But Ameer said, it was difficult to see how importing eggs could solve the problem.
“Eggs have a short lifespan of 21 days and cannot be frozen. So from a logistical aspect, you would need to import them from countries in the region,” he said.
“But the price of eggs is the lowest in Malaysia. One dozen Grade C eggs cost RM4.92, but in Thailand, it’s equivalent to RM7.42, Singapore (RM12.24), Indonesia (RM6.55), Brunei (RM10.15) and Vietnam (RM5.78).
“I don’t see how the imported eggs can be affordable to Malaysians,” he added.
Ameer said the only eggs available in the market in sufficient quantities were those that were not subject to price control, like Omega 3 eggs which can cost 75 sen each.
He claimed even businesses were forced to buy these eggs, and this has led to higher prices at bakeries and restaurants.
The “lowest hanging fruit”, Ameer said, was for the government to lift price controls.
“Even if producers increased the price of eggs by 10 sen each, it would still be lower than the 75 sen per Omega 3 egg,” Ameer added.