[ad_1]
PETALING JAYA: The meat cartels exist and are monopolized and controlled by non-bumiputeras, says a former vice minister of agriculture.
Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, who was deputy minister from 2013 to 2018, said that the cartels had been operating for decades and had refused to share the billion ringgit business with Bumiputera companies.
He said that he had taken several steps in an attempt to break this monopoly so that some overseas cartels would not supply only two or three local companies that do not belong to Bumiputera. “The monopoly allows them to control the price of meat,” he said.
Tajuddin, a deputy for Pasir Salak and a member of the Supreme Council of Umno, said he had worked with startups in India that had agreed to supply meat to the Bumiputera companies.
“The meat cartels exist. These companies control the export market of India and Australia, and if there are new players, they will lower the price or do all kinds of things to maintain the monopoly, “he told FMT.
However, he said that he did not know if the meat imported by these cartels was mixed with non-halal meat as recently mentioned in the media.
Question mark on Jakim’s inspections
Tajuddin said that when he was in the ministry he had suggested to Jakim, the Islamic development department and the veterinary department that they hire more officers to frequently monitor halal requirements here and in the countries of origin.
“It has to be monitored on a regular basis and not after long intervals. Anything can happen (if not checked). Halal status can be compromised, ”he added.
Tajuddin said that if effective monitoring processes had been put in place, no questions would have been raised about halal certification.
However, Tajuddin said he did not know if his suggestions to hire more officers to monitor the meat supply and open more halal slaughterhouses were fulfilled after Barisan Nasional lost in the 2018 general election.
Recalling the difficulty of managing this sector, Tajuddin said that local and foreign cartels were working hand in hand and would not allow new players to enter the market, adding that this made it a source of new suppliers from India.
“I also pushed for a new halal-certified slaughterhouse to supply the supply. I didn’t have a good time with the Veterinary Department, although I was just persuading the exporters to help our local Bumiputera suppliers, ”he added.
He also asked if Jakim had hired new officers to monitor the halal certification process, adding that they needed to visit slaughterhouses abroad on a regular basis to check if they met the requirements.
