Chew's Group expects crack in egg production for 1-2 weeks

CHICKEN egg supplier Chew's Group on Sunday said production volume will be affected for the next one to two weeks, after the thunderstorm over the weekend caused "extensive damage" to its egg farm along Lim Chu Kang road.

It supplies about eight per cent of Singapore's egg consumption. Every year, it produces more than 120 million eggs for distribution in Singapore.

The company said it has yet to estimate the losses to the group caused by the heavy thunderstorm, and it is working with its insurer to recover the loss of income, as well as damage to the farm and equipment.

The company said the heavy thunderstorm hit 13 of the group's chicken sheds - which mainly housed the group's breeder and white egg layers chickens - as well as the egg production building, where the egg grader machine used for the sorting and packing of eggs is housed.

"The company is currently working closely with government agencies and professional engineers to restore the egg production facilities, and the clearance of the debris and bio-assets is also underway," it said in a regulatory filing on Sunday.

The management of its wholly owned subsidiary, Chew's Agriculture, will arrange with another egg producer in Singapore to use their egg grader and packaging machine. They will also work with customers to minimise the disruption to their businesses, given the unexpected fall in production volume.

Chew's Group posted a 7 per cent increase in full-year revenue in 2017 to S$33.9 million.

Shares of Chew's Group closed unchanged at S$0.56 on Thursday. The Singapore market was closed on Friday.