'Don’t hoard': KL residents warned against panic buying amid egg shortage
A worker collects eggs at a poultry farm in Mentakab, Pahang on Nov 29, 2022. Malaysia is scrambling for eggs following a crippling shortage due to soaring prices of chicken feeds, said consumers and farmers. (Photo: AFP/Mohd RASFAN)
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry has pledged to address the problem of egg shortage in some areas in Kuala Lumpur.
It also urged consumers against panic buying, saying the issue is what caused the problem in the first place.
On Tuesday (Nov 29), the ministry was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times that checks by the ministry have revealed that there was a shortage in Kuala Lumpur.
"Our checks show that there is indeed a shortage of eggs, especially in the evenings as we believe people are panic-buying earlier in the day.
"In fact, some stores have taken to limiting the number of eggs each customer can buy, even though we have not issued any orders for them to do so," said the ministry’s Kuala Lumpur division director Ariffin Samsudin.
Mr Ariffin added that the ministry will work with egg producers from other states with excess supply to alleviate the current shortage in Kuala Lumpur. The latter does not have egg farms like other states.
“Other states, like Melaka, have excess supply, so we will work out a solution with them to ensure there is sufficient supply in Kuala Lumpur,” Mr Ariffin was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today on Tuesday.
Mr Ariffin also urged people against panic buying as this would only worsen the situation.
“Please buy eggs based on your daily needs. If you need just a dozen eggs, don’t hoard multiple trays as this would affect supply,” he added.
"So, don't panic-buy, because we will solve the shortage in Kuala Lumpur soon.
"We are monitoring the situation and checking on it, with 90 enforcement officers and 83 price check officers on the ground, looking at wholesalers, suppliers, markets, supermarkets and grocery stores,” Mr Ariffin reportedly said.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry said it has set price ceilings for chicken eggs since Feb 5 in order to prevent price hikes.
Last month, then minister of domestic trade and consumer affairs Alexander Nanta Linggi told Utusan Malaysia that rising costs of operation for poultry breeders have forced them to reduce their livestock, causing the disruption in the supply of chicken eggs in the markets of several states.
Earlier this month, then special task force against inflation chairman Annuar Musa pointed out that the smuggling of eggs to neighbouring Thailand was also causing the supply shortage.
According to a Bernama report, Mr Annuar said the root cause was the price of chicken eggs in Thailand being higher than in Malaysia. He added that the egg supply shortage was expected to be resolved by the end of December.
Related:
During the campaigning for the 15th General Election (GE15), former agriculture and agro-based industry deputy minister Sim Tze Tzin pledged that Pakatan Harapan (PH) would solve the egg shortage problem if it emerged victorious.
He claimed that PH could use its past experience to resolve the problem, adding that Malaysia did not suffer from such a shortage when the coalition was governing for 22 months from 2018 to 2020.
The newly formed unity government in Malaysia is currently led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim who is also the PH chairman. The government comprises PH, Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and other partners.
On Sunday, Mr Anwar, who previously stated that he will prioritise the issue of rising cost of living, said Malaysia is reviewing its government subsidies programme to direct money towards low-income groups.
A motion of confidence will be tabled during the next parliamentary session on Dec 19, as a test of the legitimacy of the new government.
