Poultry sellers expect KL ban to hit business, result in higher prices

Some poultry sellers here said they may have to shut their stalls temporarily when Malaysia halts its exports of chickens from June 1, while others expect a price hike of about 10 per cent to 30 per cent.

Meanwhile, consumers whom The Straits Times spoke to said they are not worried, and will turn to other meats or buy frozen chicken imported from other countries instead.

Malaysia announced on Monday that it will stop exporting chickens from next Wednesday.

Poultry sellers at Bedok North Market and Food Centre, Tiong Bahru Market and Geylang Serai Market said yesterday that the move will heavily impact their businesses. These are stall operators who get their chicken supply mainly from across the Causeway.

Last year, Singapore imported about 34 per cent, or close to 73,000 tonnes, of its chicken supply from Malaysia.

Mr Yeow Wei Min, 61, who runs a chicken stall at Bedok North Market and Food Centre, said the halt of chicken exports from Malaysia will hit his business hard. All of his fresh chicken supply comes from Malaysia. "If there is no supply, then I will temporarily close my stall. If this persists, then I will close down this stall."

Mr Stanley Yow, 52, owner of Stanley Fresh Chicken at Tiong Bahru Market, said: "If they have 10 chickens, I will sell 10. If they have 100, I will sell 100. If they have no chickens, I will just rest."

Mr Fabian Lim, 62, who works at a poultry stall in Geylang Serai Market, said prices will spike by about 20 per cent to 30 per cent as the stall's fresh chicken is mainly from Malaysia. "I hope imports from other countries like China or Indonesia will increase and balance out the shortage," he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Hashim Abbas, 73, who runs a poultry stall at Geylang Serai Market, believes the halt in chicken exports will not last long. "If Singaporeans cannot buy fresh chicken, there are alternatives they can opt for like frozen chicken or other types of meat."

The Singapore Food Agency has said importers will activate their supply chains to increase imports of chilled chicken from alternative sources, increase the import of frozen chicken from existing suppliers outside of Malaysia or draw from their stocks of poultry.

Mr Melvin Yong, president of the Consumers Association of Singapore, said in a Facebook post yesterday that Malaysia's sudden announcement is likely to have an adverse impact on the prices of chicken and related products in Singapore. He encouraged consumers to consider alternative sources of chicken and meat products, and frozen options. Consumers should also buy only what they need, and not buy excessively, he said.

Online grocer RedMart and DFI Retail Group, which owns supermarket chains Cold Storage and Giant, echoed the call for consumers not to panic-buy. Ms Jolin Huang, head of RedMart and grocery at Lazada Singapore, said: "RedMart has a robust and diverse supply chain, and we import chicken from other countries, including New Zealand and Brazil."

A DFI Retail Group spokesman said: "We are currently in discussions with non-Malaysian suppliers to increase imports of chilled poultry as well as other meats."

Chicken suppliers noted that prices for poultry have been fluctuating for the past year due to the pandemic and higher operating costs.

Mr James Sim, head of business development at chicken importer Kee Song Food Corporation, said rising inflation also impacts retail prices. He assured consumers that there is enough stock, and urged them not to panic-buy.

Consumers said they will eat other meats and will likely still buy chicken if prices are not too steep.

Retired clerk Olivia Ong, 73, said: "I will just eat less chicken. I won't start panic-buying."

 • Additional reporting by Deon Loke and Ryan Goh