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IN PENANG, where there is a large percentage of ethnic Chinese, pork is an essential food. It is the community’s preferred protein source, and plays an important role in many of their cultural traditions and religious rituals. Naturally, the surge in the price of pork to unprecedented levels in the past two years has dealt a heavy blow to the Chinese public, from small industry players to religious adherents.
Small Pork Vendors and Pig Farmers
Established in 1927, the Penang Pig Slaughter Association currently has approximately 130 members actively involved in the midstream and downstream of the industry, including butchers who often also sell pork, both fresh and roasted. Initially founded as the Penang Cantonese Vendors’ Association, it was registered as the Penang Pig Slaughter Association in 1985 as more Hokkien and Hakka members joined the industry. Today, many of them are second-generation practitioners.
“The price of pork went from about RM700 in 2022 to more than RM1,600 in 2023 per 100kg,” says a member of the association. This is due, among other factors, to a sustained supply shortage caused by the African swine fever as well as the rising cost of pig feed. While the former is more or less contained now in Penang, the gap in supply has not yet caught up fully.
Butchers, especially the older and smaller-scale ones, are not spared from the negative impact of the inflation. Unable to survive on small profit margins and with no younger generation to take over, some of them have chosen to leave the business. Within the association, at least three members’ businesses have closed down because of this.
On the other end of the industry, pig farmers too face their own challenges.
