PETALING JAYA: Budget 2024 may have some good news for poultry farmers, says Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Chan Foong Hin.

The government is offering some form of aid and incentives for poultry farmers to adopt modern farming practices, he said.

Chan said poultry farmers need capital aid and assistance from the government.

The government will be offering tax incentive for poultry farmers in Budget 2024, said Chan during his visit to Sin Chew Daily with DAP publicity secretary Teo Nie Ching.

The incentive is to facilitate poultry farmers who are willing to upgrade, he said.

The manufacturing sector is enjoying a 10-year tax exemption and five-year tax exemption for expansion, he added.

Citing the case of pork supply, Chan said one of the issues is the shortage of supply where a modern technique can increase the production, thus bringing the pork prices lower.

Pigs in Sabah were infected with African swine fever a year earlier than Peninsular Malaysia.

As the supply of pork returns to normalcy in Sabah, the ex-farm price has since been lowered by RM3 per kilogram.

Chan said in a statement issued on Aug. 22 that the Sabah Poultry and Livestock Farming Association had lowered the price of pork from RM21 to RM18 per kg.

The ex-farm price of pork had increased from RM1,400 per 100 kg before the Chinese New Year to RM1,710 per 100 kg in May.

Chan said his next move would be discussing with state executive councilors on the planning for pig farming area.

“The last issue affecting the farmers is land for pig farming,” he said.