Ipoh traders assure adequate supply of chicken, beef for Raya

IPOH: Traders at Ipoh Central Market and Amanjaya Poultry Market here have given their assurance that there would be sufficient supply of chicken and beef for the coming Aidilfitri celebration.
Poultry trader, Mohd Jamil Mat Jamlus, 46, said he could sell more than 300 chickens daily during the festive season compared to around 120 on normal days.
"It can be said that demand is more than double during the festive period and the additional requirement is not only from Malays.
"However, we ensure there will be enough chickens as demand is increasing each year," he told Bernama today.
Mohd Jamil said he obtained his supply of chickens from Manjoi, Menglembu and several areas around Ipoh.
On the price of chicken, Mohd Jamil said it was being sold at RM7.50 per kg and gave his assurance that the price would not be raised soon as the item was subject to price control.
"The government has set the price at RM7 to RM7.50 per kg, so we traders cannot raise prices as we wish even though we have to absorb the transportation cost," he said.
Beef trader Kamaridi Amaran, 65, said he did not rule the possibility of the price of beef and buffalo meat increasing slightly from RM32 per kg now to RM35.
"We have to raise the price a bit as the selling price is passed on from the wholesalers who raise their prices as Hari Raya approaches," he said.
Kamaridi said the excuse given by the wholesalers to raise prices was the tight supply and the high transportation cost.
Meanwhile, customer Mohd Yusran Zulkifli, 34, said goods sold at Ipoh Central Market were generally still under control although some items were getting more expensive.
He said the most obvious increase was the price of mutton which had reached RM29 per kg compared to RM23 per kg on normal days..
"I was slightly taken aback by the latest price as I buy mutton quite often," he said.
Another consumer, Noor Zuraidi Zainan Noor, 47, said the authorities especially the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry should conduct more frequent checks to ensure traders do not raise prices indiscriminately. — Bernama