He attributed the price increase to costs accumulated at various levels of the supply chain before the goods reached the traders.

“It is true that daily essentials are more expensive now (but) traders and wholesalers are not responsible for this price increase. I see it as resulting from the supply chain.

“Take chicken as an example. Breeders, factories and wholesalers all have their own costs. The price is already high by the time the goods reach the traders,” he told reporters after conducting price checks on essential items at MyFarm Outlet Kasih here.

He said the agriculture and food industries ministry should cooperate with the domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry to resolve this issue.

“At the same time, we (government) need to seriously look into the issue of middlemen,” he added.

Ismail said the government will be importing frozen chicken to enable the public to obtain chicken at a lower price.

“For a start, we will bring in 200 container loads,” he said, adding that imported frozen chicken was expected to be available in the local market by next week at the latest.

“The increase in the price of chicken to RM9.80 per kg is unusual although prices have exceeded RM10 per kg before. But this seldom happens because chicken prices normally range between RM7 and RM8 per kg,” he said.

On fish supply, Ismail said the agriculture and food industries ministry will temporarily stop fish exports to ensure that fish was easily available at reasonable prices in the local market.

“If possible we will temporarily stop fish exports because it is important to meet the needs of our people. We do not want them to be burdened with price hikes, especially for wet goods.”