In a statement, Ismail said Nafas and Angkasa will also start growing corn, a key component in chicken feed, more aggressively.

He said that Nafas plans to control 20% of the poultry market by producing 144 million chickens a year while Angkasa will produce as many as 30 million chickens a year.

“Nafas and Angkasa will be more proactive in planting corn to reduce the country’s dependence on importing raw materials for poultry feed,” he said.

Ismail added that Nafas had identified 12,140 hectares of land in Kelantan and Terengganu for planting corn. The land was previously used to grow tobacco.

Meanwhile, Angkasa, in collaboration with the agriculture and food industries ministry, has identified 4,000 hectares of land across the country, capable of producing five tonnes of corn and reducing imports for it by 20% over the next five years.

“I am confident that Nafas and Angkasa will be able to help the government in addressing the issue of rising chicken prices and food supply,” Ismail said.

Last week, the Cabinet agreed to implement several short-term measures, including setting up a stockpile of chicken, to curb food supply shortages and price hikes.

Agriculture and food industries minister Ronald Kiandee said the Cabinet also agreed on measures to simplify the payment process for subsidy claims.

On June 1, Ismail announced that beginning July 1, the government would no longer provide subsidies to the breeders and would instead channel them directly to the people in need of assistance.

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