Indonesia made its inaugural export of live chickens to Singapore on Saturday, with a total of 23,040 chickens or 41.46 tons, according to the Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore.
This comes from the Lion City looking at beyond Malaysia for a consistent supply of the staple after it was left in limbo when then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri halted the export of chicken due to shortage. Singapore’s Prime Minister called the move protectionism and was concerned about depending on just one main source which resulted in Indonesia stepping in.
The export is also a concrete follow-up to the second meeting between the two heads of state in May 2023 in Singapore. Previously, Indonesia has been exporting frozen chicken and processed chicken products to Singapore since June of last year.
According to Pratomo, the inaugural export was carried out by poultry producer PT Japfa Comfeed Indonesia from their facility on Bintan Island. He mentioned that live chickens from Indonesia are declared free from avian flu virus, allowing them to be directly shipped to Singapore.
Indonesia said it will continue to strive to be a chicken supplier to Singapore, as the demand for chicken in Singapore increases each year. According to the trade attache Singapore is estimated to import 228,000 tons of live chickens, processed chickens, and chicken products.
Currently, the largest suppliers of chicken to the country are Brazil (51 percent), Malaysia (24 percent), and the United States (11 percent).
