The Federation of Livestock Farmers’ Associations of Malaysia (FLFAM) said its members had nothing to hide.
“If people want to investigate, go ahead, there is nothing for us to hide,” FLFAM president Jeffrey Ng told FMT.
He said farmers faced challenges of higher operational expenditure as well as regulatory costs.
He said it was important that prices were “fair”, adding that expensive and cheap were subjective terms.
“If people cannot accept a fair price, the local industry will collapse and it will affect food security, and then you will depend on imports.
“Please be fair, try to understand the costs of doing business and the challenges faced by farmers.”
He said over the years, there had been higher regulatory standards for farmers on health and the environment.
The minimum wage rule, he said, also added to the rising costs of business.
Ng said the price increase for eggs had been minimal over the past two decades, hardly rising above 50% compared to other essential food items.
“Naturally, depending on the supply and demand, the price will at times rise and at other times, drop.
“When the price of eggs is low, you don’t see farmers complaining,” said Ng.
Egg prices have reportedly increased by more than 10 sen in the past two months.
Prominent retail tycoon Ameer Ali Mydin had proposed that the government enforce a temporary ban on exports of essential items when they are in short supply.
But an economist attached to a think tank disagreed.
Carmelo Ferlito of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs said the poultry market fluctuated more frequently than other commodities, so the supply-and-demand factor would correct itself quickly.
He said this was unlike some agricultural products where the long-term supply could be affected by factors like weather.
He also said the results of any government intervention would be slow due to the fluctuating nature of the poultry market.
“If you were to temporarily stop exports in the case of eggs and poultry, you may hurt the local players at the expense of temporarily bringing prices down a little for local consumers,” he said.
“It would be better to open up the market to foreign producers, so local producers can adjust their supply to meet the demand, while creating competition with the foreign producers. This ultimately benefits consumers.”