JABAR EKSPRES –Indonesia made the first shipment of live chicken exports to Singapore as many as 23,040 heads or the equivalent of 41.46 tons on Saturday (5/13) local time.
Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Surya Pratomo said the live chicken export is a sign of increased and more cohesive trade cooperation between Indonesia and Singapore.
“This export is also a concrete follow-up to the meeting between the two leaders at the leaders’ retreat in May 2023 in Singapore. Previously, Indonesia successfully exported frozen chicken and processed chicken products since June last year,” Surya said in a written statement in Jakarta, Sunday (5/14).
Suryo said that the first live chicken export was carried out by PT Japfa Comfeed Indonesia from their facility in Gunung Kijang, Bintan Island. The chickens will go directly to a slaughterhouse in Singapore and undergo avian influenza virus testing.
Furthermore, Indonesia’s live chicken products have been declared free from avian influenza viruses so that they can be directly supplied to the market in Singapore.
Read more: Commander Mutates 18 High-Ranking TNI Officers!
According to Suryo, Indonesia will continue to strive to be an alternative source of chicken supply for Singapore, given that the country’s demand for chicken continues to increase every year.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Trade Attaché in Singapore, Billy Anugrah said that in 2022, Singapore is estimated to import 228,000 tons of chicken, both live chicken, chilled and frozen slaughtered chicken, as well as processed chicken products, with the majority from Brazil (51 percent), Malaysia (24 percent), the United States (11 percent) and other countries (14 percent).
“The opening of export market access for live chicken has been initiated since last year, and is a form of good regional cooperation, synergy, and mutual benefit and can support the creation of regional food security,” Billy said.
The Singapore government has certified several chicken and chicken product-producing companies in Indonesia to export to Singapore in June 2022. This is because Singapore is experiencing a shortage of chicken supply due to Malaysia’s temporary suspension of live chicken supply.
