Egg hunt is on in Sabah

Snapped up: Trays of chicken eggs for sale used to fill this now empty space at a store in Kota Kinabalu

KOTA KINABALU: Melissa Lee has visited two supermarkets in Penampang here looking for eggs. Belinda Kassim has done the same. Both cannot find eggs in the city.

The supply of eggs here seems to be running very low despite recent reassurances from the Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry.

A brief survey in several supermarkets around the city yesterday found that there were no eggs for sale as suppliers had yet to send them over, while others whose supplies had come through saw their stocks quickly disappear.

Lee said she has been trying to look for eggs since Wednesday but there seems to be a shortage.

“Not too sure though because I just went to two supermarkets in Penampang to check,” said the 33-year-old.

Belinda, 45, also told of a similar plight, but added that supermarket staff assured her that there would be new stocks of eggs arriving soon.

A chicken breeder in Penampang who did not want to be named said he chose to cut down on breeding new chicks due to the increase in chicken feed and corn prices.

“There will be lower chicken production from my farm. However, the demand for eggs remains high and we will try to meet the market demand,” he said.

On Wednesday, State Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said in a statement that the egg supply in Sabah remains stable and sufficient.

He said his ministry through the Veterinary Services Department (DVS) recently monitored the operations of chicken farms, particularly major chicken egg farms in Sabah.

He said a majority of the farms reported that they have no problem meeting the demand of consumers in Sabah.

“In other words, the chicken and egg supply in Sabah remains stable, and the number of eggs produced remains the same as previously.

“The government has also imposed strict pricing controls on the product,” Jeffrey said.

He added that there may be an increase in demand for chicken eggs since they are the cheapest protein source, and this was why some consumers reported difficulty finding them in some places in Sabah.

He also said his ministry is looking for measures to help the private sector meet rising demand while also reducing the price of other protein sources, particularly chicken and pork.

“The problem is, while the pricing of chicken and pork are determined by the Sabah ministry, we must still follow guidelines set by the DVS at the federal level, such as accepting only goods produced by abattoirs recognised by the federal DVS,” Jeffrey said.

He has recommended the formation of a special task force on food security to address the issue.

He said they must find ways to reduce food imports by increasing local production, not just chicken or pork, but also rice and wheat.

Jeffrey also wants to see a decentralisation of power of the federal DVS to the Sabah DVS so that it can make decisions on its own and expand its list of acceptable overseas abattoirs to supplement Sabah’s locally produced chicken and pork.

“I believe by doing so, we can alleviate the problem of rising food prices and ease the burden of the people,” he said.