Mydin boss sounds alarm over egg shortage
Ameer Ali Mydin urges the new government to remove ceiling prices to boost production.
PETALING JAYA: The head of a hypermarket chain has sounded the alarm over the shortage of eggs in the market, saying urgent action was needed to resolve the problem.
“We have checked on the ground, at various supermarkets and hypermarkets across the country. As of 10am, there were empty shelves everywhere,” Ameer Ali Mydin told FMT.
He said people have been claiming that the egg shortage has been resolved following the change of government after photos of fully stocked supermarkets went viral.
“People must not expect miracles. I am sure that Datuk Seri Anwar is aware of the shortage and is looking into it,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
“The problem, we are told by producers, is that the cost of production is higher than the ceiling price set for eggs and this has led to the shortage.”
It was previously reported that the ceiling price for eggs is 45 sen (Grade A), 43 sen (Grade B) and 41 sen (Grade C) in Peninsular Malaysia.
The ceiling price for Langkawi, Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan differ according to zones and districts.
Ameer, the managing director of the Mydin chain of hypermarkets, said the government should remove the ceiling price for eggs.
“If the government decides to maintain the ceiling price, then it should consider banning the export of eggs to Singapore and Hong Kong to ensure continued supply for the domestic market,” he said.
He said he was concerned that the country was running out of time to resolve the egg shortage.
“Christmas is coming up, Chinese New Year is in January. Hari Raya is in April, which means those making Hari Raya cookies will start doing so in January.
“If the egg shortage persists, you will have a shortage of cookies and prices will increase,” he said.
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FMT has reached out to the Federation of Livestock Farmers’ Associations of Malaysia and the Prime Minister’s Office for comment.