Oh no, not another article on the pandemic. But today we are taking an interesting look at an how the pandemic and movement control order is affecting chickens (!) in Malaysia.

We have seen many articles about the effect of Covid-19 pandemic including on this site. Today, we will be looking at the new normal from a less explored angle – chickens! Chickens are a key staple food in Malaysia alongside rice. And, apparently a very popular search term in Malaysia too *eyebrow raise*. Thus, when the rakyat complains about the rise in chicken prices, the issue can get quite sizzling hot as the a demand for answers to the price hike increases!

How Are Chicken Prices Affected?

During the Movement Control Order (MCO), chicken traders explained that they were forced to sell chicken at higher prices because of supply problems, restrictions imposed by the government, the higher cost of feed, and even the weather! The latter does perplex us as we would think with lesser pollution, chickens would better thrive in the clean air.

“We import chicken feed from overseas: the weakening of the ringgit means costs go up. The price of imported fruits has also been on the rise but we don’t see anyone complaining. No one talks about our costs going up when the currency depreciates.” ~ chicken farmer

Chicken Price Changes

  • Pre-MCO: RM4.90 per kg
  • MCO pricing: up to RM9.50 per kg reportedly in Penang and Terengganu

Chicken trader Nur Hafidzin Jamil, 31, who used to sell between 1,500 and 1,700 chickens daily before the MCO, says that traders even sacrificed by lowering prices in order to attract more people to buy their chickens.

“We have to face some profit loss when customers are questioning the price increase with sour faces and we are facing pressure from regulars who buy in large quantities. We still bear the cost of transportation and salary of workers. I hope customers can understand our plight,” he said.

In response to this issue, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister, Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi said the government will not hesitate to enforce the maximum price scheme for standard chicken if prices continue to rise uncontrollably.

The ministry will, if needed, set a ceiling price for standard chicken, no different from the one enforced during a festive season. During this year’s Festive Season Maximum Price Control Scheme (SHMMP) for Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the maximum price for chicken fixed at RM7.50 per kg. He also advised breeders to sell some portion of their produce directly to the traders, without having to go through middlemen, to keep the cost low. Be warned that action can be taken against those who deliberately hiked up their prices (aka profiteering) in line with relevant laws.

Source: Index Mundi

However, the overall Malaysian chicken price appears to be still well below the great heights of 2016-2018 based on the chicken numbers provided by the US Department of Agriculture, Bloomberg, and the World Bank. Taking a broader perspective, the prices of food & non-alcoholic beverages has increased 1.2% year-on-year amidst lower consumer price index in Malaysia.

Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia

In other news:

Source: A popular sugar baby site

How are Sugar Babies’ (the *other* kind of bird) Income Affected?

According to urban dictionary, compensated dating is derived from Japanese word 「援助交際 」or “Enjo-kōsai.” that describe young women going on dates with older men in exchange for money and gifts, and some of them often end up in sexual activities.

In an article by Augustman magazine, they interviewed several sugar babies and sugar daddies on how they are coping with the pandemic and whether their relationship dynamic are affected. Coincidentally, the slang term ‘chicken’ is sometimes used to refer to a sugar baby in a compensated dating relationship.

In the article, fitness instructor, Georgina, 24, has 2 sugar daddies, a 38-year old Malaysian and a 42-year old Singaporean. She has been a sugar baby from more than a year when she signed up with a dating app specialized for compensated dating.

She receives monthly fixed allowance from the local guy and pay-per-meet agreement with the Singaporean when she sees him whenever he has a business trip to Kuala Lumpur. But, due to the MCO, they only communicated via internet and he paid her SGD250 (RM767.90)

“I’ve definitely been receiving less gifts, as we don’t meet as often and can’t go to shopping malls, but that’s more of a bonus for me anyway. I prefer just having cash to save and being able to afford food,” ~Georgina, 24

For Hana, 21, she has one sugar daddy who gives her RM3,500 monthly allowance and pays for some of her expenses. She says that you has to be wary and careful, because a lot of guys out there will try to scam you by giving false promises, and not playIng by the rules. She thinks being a sugar baby really isn’t for everyone, but she loves being a sugar baby.

Gary, 40, a sugar daddy, said that everything has changed due to the pandemic. Before, they were free to do whatever they wanted and could meet any time. But, during MCO, they could only meet by FaceTime. Gary still however maintains paying a monthly allowance to his sugar baby, but has definitely spent less in terms of going out and dining or shopping.

Overall

When prices of staple food like chicken increases, it will cause a major backlash from consumers due to extra costs especially if their source of income is already affected by the pandemic. On the flip side, there is an unbalanced burden towards traders and farmers when they have to bear higher cost due to the uncertainty during MCO.

For sugar babies involved with compensated dating though, the impact of the pandemic seems minimal for now with the income for sugar babies remaining unchanged or just slightly lower compared than usual, if excluding gifts. Supply and demand will have an effect though and both supply and demand sides may be affected in the event of an economic downturn.

 

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What do you think about chickens in the new normal? Share with us in a comment below.