The Sarawak Livestock Breeders Association hopes that the federal and state governments will look into the issue of the non-functioning feeder shipping service to Kuching which has left containers of imported livestock feed stuck in Port Klang for months.

Association representative Dr Ng Siew Thiam said small farms in the livestock industry usually buy feed corn from Pakistan and India as it is cheaper.

However, he said international shipping lines have suspended consignment service to East Malaysia and their containers have been left in Port Klang with no further movement to Kuching.

“For few months there is no one to pick them up because the feeder shipping line (from Klang) to Kuching is not functioning.

“Because of the cabotage policy, the international shipping line cannot come into Kuching while the feeder line hasn’t brought the goods to us here so everything is stuck. We have hundreds of containers that cannot come in,” he told The Borneo Post.

Ng said association members now have to resort to more expensive corn from Argentina, which comes in via a chartered vessel.

He said the feed corn from Argentina costs US$432 per metric tonne while from Pakistan it is US$320 per metric tonne.

“The chartered vessel only brings in big quantities up to 35,000 tonnes. Only big players can afford it. Small farms buy from Pakistan and India.

“Actually, the whole livestock industry in Sarawak is affected by the lack of cheap feed. Because our costs of production are high, the chickens and eggs become expensive and at the end, our consumers here are suffering too,” he added.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by ANTONIA CHIAM

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