M’sia Egg Shortage Seemingly Resolved After Anwar Becomes PM, Industry Expert Says Not So Simple

Stacks Of Egg Stocks At Malaysia Supermarkets, Netizen Concludes Shortage Resolved After Anwar Became PM

Malaysia has been experiencing egg shortages over the past few months, with consumers finding it difficult to get eggs.

Some citizens may have hoped that the appointment of new Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim would somehow cause the situation to improve.

At least one person claims that it has, posting a clip showing piles of eggs in a supermarket.

However, an industry expert says it’s not as simple as that.

Stacks of eggs seen in supermarkets

A TikTok video uploaded earlier this week showed several stacks of eggs at a supermarket in Malaysia.

There appeared to be many different varieties to choose from, with stocks piled as high as waist level.

More eggs could be seen on shelves in the background.

Another netizen who lives in Johor Baru also posted on Facebook on Saturday (26 Nov) that he was finally able to buy eggs after waiting for two months.

He also attached a photo of more stacks of eggs at a supermarket.

The scene was in stark contrast to the emptier shelves in Malaysian supermarkets some two months ago.

Anwar just sworn in & egg shortage situation improves?

The OP, perhaps with tongue firmly in cheek, said, “It’s magic!”.

He pointed out that Mr Anwar has just been sworn in on Thursday (24 Nov), and these are the day’s egg prices.

In the video, a carton of 30 eggs was seen to be priced at S$3.78 (RM12.30) for Grades C and D, and S$3.60 (RM11.70) for Grade E.

The Malaysian government had instituted a ceiling price for eggs to help citizens fight inflation, with Grade C eggs not to exceed S$0.12 (41 sen) each.

However, this ceiling price resulted in poultry farms cutting down on their production, as they couldn’t cover rising costs.

So considering the ample supply of eggs at the ceiling price in this supermarket, it seems like at least some producers have finally ramped up production.

Egg situation stabilised over last few weeks: Industry expert

However, rather than attributing the good news to a PM who was just appointed, Federation of Sundry Goods Merchants Associations of Malaysia president Hong Chee Meng that the egg situation has been stabilising over the last few weeks.

He told the China Press that retailers with a licence to sell eggs aren’t allowed to tell consumers that they don’t have stock and not sell the product to them. Suppliers can’t refuse to supply eggs to the retailers either.

Eggs are one of the goods that are strictly regulated by the government, to ensure a constant supply for citizens, he added.

Thus, he said it’s not correct to say that the egg shortage was resolved “like magic” within days of Mr Anwar becoming PM.

Egg shortages can’t be resolved in just a few days, he explained, and has nothing to do with politics.

Rather, the resolution of the shortage is due to the close supervision and control of the Trade Ministry, he maintained, adding,

Malaysians must understand that although the new Cabinet hasn’t been announced yet, the government is still in operation.

There might currently still be signs of an egg shortage in the market, Mr Hong said, but it might affect just certain grades and won’t be a big problem.

Malaysians hoping for positive change

Looks like it may just be a coincidence that the egg shortage is looking to be resolved just as Mr Anwar became PM.

However, it does speak to the hope among Malaysians that after 24 years of waiting in the wings, he will spark a positive change in the country.

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Featured image adapted from @duensanggaara on TikTok and Alan Lee on Facebook.