KUALA NERUS, June 14 — The Terengganu Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) has discovered that there are poultry breeders who impose hidden charges on wholesalers, causing an increase in the price of food in the market.

Its director, Saharuddin Mohd Kia, said that they had conducted an inspection at the wholesale level and found that there were farmers who charged 70 sen per kilogramme (kg) of chicken to the wholesalers for catching the birds.

This, he said, caused the wholesalers to bear additional costs that would then be imposed on retailers and consumers.

"In the invoice, the price given by breeders to wholesalers is in accordance with the rate set by the government, which is RM5.60 per kilogramme.

"Yet, breeders also charge an external or hidden charge of 70 sen per kilogramme,” he said after conducting an inspection at one of the largest poultry wholesalers in Terengganu.

Saharuddin said that this should not have happened because the government has given special subsidies to breeders to cover input costs, such as imports of chicken feed and so on.

Thus, KPDNHEP will conduct an investigation immediately to see whether the farmers have received subsidies from the government or otherwise.

"We will investigate this matter because, before the movement control order (MCO), there were no such charges.

"When the farm starts imposing such charges, it will also affect the wholesalers and retailers, who will also increase prices on the grounds of having to bear the cost of transportation, ice, plastic and chicken cutting charges,” he said.

Following that, he warned traders to comply with the maximum price scheme for chicken, set until June 30.

He said that his enforcement personnel would carry out inspections at chicken sales premises, and thus far, a total of 10 retailers and 12 wholesalers had been issued with compounds for violating the rules. — Bernama