Indonesia marked a new chapter in its trade relations with Singapore as it exported 23,040 live chickens, weighing a total of 41.46 tons on Saturday (13/5), according to the Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Surya Pratomo.
The successful export is a testament to the growing cooperation between the countries, said Surya, adding that it is also a concrete result of the leaders’ meeting held in May 2023 in Singapore.
This historic shipment of live chickens follows Indonesia’s previous exports of frozen and processed chicken products to Singapore since June of last year.
According to Surya, the inaugural export was carried out by poultry producer PT Japfa Comfeed Indonesia from their facility on Bintan Island.
The envoy went on to emphasize that Indonesia’s live chickens are considered as avian flu-free, enabling them to be directly exported to Singapore.
The Singaporean government has also provided certification to several chicken producers and chicken product manufacturers in Indonesia to export to Singapore from June 2022.
Indonesian eyeing a larger share of Singaporean market
Indonesia is keen on cementing its position as a reliable supplier to Singapore, as the demand for chicken in Singapore increases each year.
According to the Indonesian Trade Attaché in Singapore Billy Anugrah, Singapore’s demand for chicken is predicted to reach an estimated 228,000 tons of live chickens, processed chickens, and chicken products in 2022. The largest suppliers of chicken to the country are Brazil (51 percent), Malaysia (24 percent), and the US (11 percent).
Meanwhile, Singapore currently experienced a shortage of chicken supply after Malaysia temporarily halted its export of live chickens, opening up access to live chickens from Indonesia that was initiated last year.
This is a form of good synergy, particularly in light of Indonesia’s oversupply of chicken products that amounted to over 3.8 million tons in 2022, according to Billy.
The opening of Singapore’s market for live chickens is expected to create a balanced production and supply, as well as improve the livelihood of farmers in Indonesia.
