Malaysians consume 1.8 million chickens and 2.8 million chicken eggs daily, said Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek.

He said chicken was preferred by the people as it was a cheaper source of protein in comparison with others.

"So, we can't say that chicken is expensive, cannot, because chicken is still the cheapest.

"Before this, people used to say that chicken was expensive, now it is the cheapest," he told reporters after officiating at the graduation ceremony of the Farmers Field School and Open Day of the Rice Technology Centre of Excellence here today.

Ahmad Shabery said the country produced 13 million chickens a week but only 12 million were consumed.

"The remaining one million are exported to Singapore and other countries. In total, the production of chicken in the country is 110 per cent," he said.