Import of Pork Likely if Price Goes Up

MALAYSIA - The Veterinary Services Department will allow pork to be imported if the farm price of pigs continues to go up, director-general Datuk Dr Abd Aziz Jamaluddin said.
calendar icon 9 July 2009
clock icon 2 minute read

He said the interest of consumers ought to be protected and as such the department would have no choice but to bring in more pork from elsewhere.

According to The Star, Dr Abd Aziz said that from last August till Monday, the department paid RM6.7mil in production incentives to pig farmers.

"The incentives have been given to 657 farmers throughout the country and it accounted for 5.8 per cent of the total amount given to all farmers under the National Food Security policy," he said at a press conference here, yesterday. "However, farmers still continue to raise prices."

The Government was concerned as an uncontrollable hike would change the buying trend of consumers, he said.

"Consumers might choose chicken or other meat and this will indirectly affect the prices of other commodities," he added.

The farm price of pigs now is about RM7 per kg, up from about RM5.50 earlier this year.

Pig farmers and pork sellers have been at loggerheads for the past months over the farm price of pigs.

Pork sellers claim the farmers have been raising prices, causing the market to be depressed while the farmers say they have had to raise prices because of low profits and risks in the industry.

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