Saying it was time to rectify the situation, its Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the National Farmers Association was carrying out a pioneer project with a feed company from India to produce soy and corn based feed, Bernama.com reports.

"The project is being carried out at the Malaysian Agricultural and Research Development Institute (MARDI) and is expected to produce 20 metric tonnes of feed this year," he said at a press conference after a state agriculture executive committee meeting.

Meanwhile, the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (CUEPACS) urged the 1.4 million civil servants in the country to boycott buying chicken in order to force suppliers to reduce their prices.

"The price hike up to RM9.50 per kilogramme is way above the ceiling price of RM6.80. This is too much and it's totally unreasonable to use Ramadan and the festive season as excuses," Cuepacs president Datuk Omar Osman said at a press conference here today.

He added that the union's 45,000-strong consumer squad would go all out to help the Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry (PDNKK) to monitor the prices of dry and wet goods to curb indiscriminate hikes.

A Bernama survey at several states found that the prices of chicken and wet goods were still under control despite a slight increase following higher demand.

In Melaka, at the Melaka Sentral market chicken was sold between RM8.40 and RM8.50 per kilogramme, 'kembong' fish (RM10 to RM11), 'cencaru' (RM8 to RM9), sting ray (RM12.50 to RM15), sotong (RM10 to RM22) and prawns (RM15 to RM20).

The Melaka PDNKK Office director Muhabir Ibrahim said chicken prices were still under control and the markets were being monitored on a daily basis.

In Kuala Terengganu, the PDNKK has not received any complaints on indiscriminate pricing and so far based on a national average chicken prices were still reasonable.

Terengganu PDNKK director Syamsul Badrein Mohshin said all 81 enforcement personnel from four branches had been mobilised to monitor prices throughout Ramadan and Aidilfitri.

Over at the capital, the price of chicken was between RM7.50 and RM8 per kilogramme, imported meat at RM14.50 to RM16.50 and local meat, RM26.

In Kota Baharu, the price of beef suddenly spiked to RM25 per kilogramme from RM18 to RM22 before Ramadan, due to a high demand which has resulted in a shortage.