Goh: Govt must take measures to address spiralling pork price in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) has urged the government to pay serious attention to the spiraling pork price in the state, and to take necessary and effective measures to address it.

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This includes providing incentive to the live pigs producers, besides fixing ceiling retail prices for pork.

Urging this, its President Tan Sri T.C Goh observed that with Malaysia currently being besieged by rising inflation, the retail price of pork in Sabah too has increased multiple times, in the past few months. And this has inevitably contributed to higher overhead for restaurants and eateries, who have no choice but to increase their food prices, accordingly.

He acknowledged that the spiraling pork price in Sabah was among others due to the recent African swine flu outbreak, which affected the state’s live pig production, besides the increase in price of pig feed in the global market. Nonetheless, he contended that following the state government lifting of restrictions allowing for import of food, frozen pork included, by right there should be enough pork supply to meet market demand and to keep the price down, and not such an irregular and depressing situation that is currently besieging the consumers.

In a statement issued today, Goh who is also President of The Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) cum a member of the Sabah Economic Advisory Council (SEAC) thus called on the Federal government to pay serious attention to the said issue, and to take effective measures to address it, without further delay.

He also reminded that, recently the neighbouring state of Sarawak too was similarly affected by African swine flu, as well as increase in pig feed price, but pork price in Sabah was comparatively more expensive (more than 40%) as compared to Sarawak.

“Such a huge difference in pork price between Sabah and Sarawak is indeed puzzling to the Sabah consumers,” he said.

He further noted that despite geographical difference between Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak, there was nonetheless not much difference in the cost of live pig production between the two; however this was certainly not the case with Sabah which obviously has higher production cost, which thus contributed to higher pork price in the state, which is certainly something worth seriously looking into by the relevant authorities.

Goh said the spiraling pork price currently besieging the country, Sabah in particular, would inevitably heightened the already worsening inflation rate, hence it should not be taken lightly by the government, and to take necessary and effective measures to address it.

He noted that prices of imported animal feeds such as corn, soybeans, and wheat have increased many folds in the past few months, especially since the Russian-Ukraine war broke out in February, this year. According to statistics of the live pig industry, it usually takes around six months and 300 kg of feed (more than RM1,000) to produce a 100-kg of live pig, and the cost keeps rising.

“But, how come the price of live pigs and pork in Sabah is comparatively much higher, as compared to Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak when their production cost is quite similar? This is definitely worth seriously looking into by the relevant authorities,” he concluded.

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